Sonic Synthesis
by KingRaikou2
Summary: Sonic the Hedgehog and his faithful friends, Tails, Tiara, Jun and Flex are 5 adventurers who aim to travel across the Planet Mobius, fighting the Robotnik Regime along the way. They'll make numerous allies, battle crafty enemies and search high and low for the mystical Chaos Emeralds. What will they learn from the experience? Do they stand a chance of defying Dr. Robotnik's reign?
1. Prologue: Welcome to the Planet Mobius

Stache Hand Presents:

Sonic Synthesis

Disclaimer:

The following is a non-profit, fan-based story and is in no way affiliated with Sega Games Co., Ltd.

The Sonic the Hedgehog intellectual property and it's corresponding material are all owned by Sega, Sonic Team, Archie Comics, Pierrot, Egmont Magazines, TMS Entertainment, IDW Publishing, Hirokazu Yasuhara, Naoto Oshima, Yuji Uekawa, Takashi Iizuka and Yuji Naka.

Please support the official release.

On another note:

All original characters made for this story are of the author's creation. Therefore, they are only to be used for your own Sonic the Hedgehog-related stories with the author's permission.

* * *

Prologue: Welcome to the Planet Mobius

Welcome to a world that may seem familiar from a T.V. show you probably watched, a book you might've read, or a video game you may have played, yet it's a wholly different place.

This is the Planet Mobius, the home of the Mobians. Most know them as anthropomorphic, bipedal, creature-like lifeforms resembling our own real world animals. In short, anthros. Their shapes, sizes and colours vary almost as much as their personalities. But they're not alone in this world. They live side-by-side with the other Mobian race; one comprised of people known for having more flesh than hair, referred to as humans. Just like the neighboring form of life, humans appear in various forms, from the small, to the big, to the pretty, to the ugly, to the funny, to the solemn.

Some anthros and humans live harmoniously, while others have chosen the path of wickedness. On one hand, they may start conflicts over the most trivial things. They may even be selfish. On the other hand, if they try their very best and never give up on their wishes, they'll always have a reason, one way or another, to be happy. Deep down in their hearts, they're basically good people.

Together, humans and anthros build their homes and support their population all over the world, whether they live in civilization or out in the fantastic plains of nature with the planet's exotic fauna. Oh yes, there are many places to be on this planet, including the glimmering metropolitan areas, the gigantic jungles, the ancient underwater ruins, the haunted castles, the high canyons, the searing deserts, the mighty volcanoes and the glacial valleys. No matter where you go, there's something to discover and some faces you'll never want to forget.

Sadly, in recent times, this wonderful, vibrant world has become darker, meaner and a whole lot edgier (if you don't mean "edgier" in the informal definition). Today, it's practically conquered and overseen by a man with dreadful ambitions. A human who rose to power, going from an underdog scientist to the most powerful mind on Mobius. His name? Doctor Ivo Robotnik. He has built an army of mass-produced, animal-like robots called Badniks, each with their own designs and functions; mainly focused on combat and apprehension. On top of the mechanical soldiers, he has recruited a villainous mastermind from a time before the great period of peace that preceded the uprising, along with several other nefarious associates.

This wicked alliance has made an effort to create a world regulated forcefully by technology, to near absolute success. To further his grand plan, Robotnik seeks out the Chaos Emeralds - 7 mystical gemstones that are said to turn the thoughts of all living things into power. Legend also has it that if all 7 are gathered and triggered by a multitude of pure qualities, a miracle is meant to occur. Ivo's deadly organization, the Robotnik Regime, undoubtedly wants to gain this power for reasons yet to be realized.

His forces are everywhere, but fortunately, so is a collective of peacemakers dedicating their lives to resolving the ongoing crisis: the Fighters' Fellowship. Factions of it are located around the world, differing in names and quantity of members. It's thanks to these people that Robotnik's ultimate mission has been slowed down, and there is one extraordinary Mobian leading the charge. The one, the only, ya boi, the Hero of Mobius! His triumphs are known throughout the land, recognized as a way past cool hero with mondo wit, loved by all, capable of moving up and over at sound speed. He's got a heart of gold and he's always gotta juice for those in need of a little hand, making chili sauce out of villains, no matter how briefly it excites him. He's never waaaaitiiing for too long before he's gotta speed, keed, but let's not forget how charming he is, because the ladies wish they had him for a boy-

Wait a minute. Whoops! This is the wrong page of the script. Somebody has been swapping again... dang pranksters. (5 second pause) OK, here's the right one.

As I was saying, the Fighters' Fellowship has worked hard to fight off the Regime and keep Robotnik from reaching his goal. Certain branches have even garnered celebrity status akin to a movie star, a masterful artist or a league of superheroes. This brings us to an island located in the Agate Archipelago: Westside Island; the home of 5 high-spirited young fighters. Their group includes a blue hedgehog, a terra cotta manx cat, a brown monkey, a jet black armadillo with a red shell, and an orange fox cub with two tails. While not members of the Fellowship - they're not even well-known for that matter - they've been pretty vigorous in their activity for a long time now. Almost 10 years, in fact. They've been taught all they know from an old aquamarine hedgehog, who owns a small workshop that is completely secluded in a forest. This has been the place where the team would often crash after a big journey.

As the battle against the Robotnik Regime wages on, the children are learning every waking moment on their dangerous, but exciting adventures. Right now, their exploits may be overlooked, but these children may eventually rise up and play a big part in the fight yet. Will they stand a chance against the big bosses of the mechanical empire, and find the Chaos Emeralds first? Only time holds the answers.

As the epic tale unfolds, they'll help counterattack Doctor Robotnik, any way they can.

And so, it begins.


	2. Chapter 1: Find The Chaos Radar

Chapter 1: Find The Chaos Radar

Somewhere on Westside Island, a mass of land in the expansive Agate Archipelago, there stands a high-tech base, run by the most dedicated of operators. Within the heart of this structure is a powerful machine unlike any other. The base's security guards vehemently protect this device from everyone they can catch. The sun has risen, and it's time for another day of duty. We join two anthro-type Mobians outside the front gate.

"Gosh, if only work was a little faster. I gotta get some action today, Frank." said a male anthro wolf, feeling bored with his job.

"Dude, when you signed on to this job, what did you expect? Suck it up, Carl. Easy." retorted a male anthro turtle beside the wolf.

"I knew what I was getting into." the wolf, named Carl, said back. "But knowing what could come after us is making me restless."

"There's alot you need to learn about the value of patience and diligence." the turtle, named Frank, remarked. "Wise men say: slow and steady wins the race."

"Buddy, we're just standing." Carl snarked.

Frank rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. At that moment, small black and red orbs were rolling around the gates, surrounding the two anthro-types. The two didn't notice them at first, in the midst of their conversation. When Frank observed these orbs, he began to suspect something was odd. Carl, anxious to do something, decided to play with the orbs.

"Hey, how about a game of Bootball?" Carl said, playfully.

Frank ignored Carl's clownish request, picked up a radio out of his pocket and called up somebody on the other side of a communication line.

"Calling Multinational Elite Guardians of Agate." said Frank, on the radio. "Something has shown up. I'm set to fire at the first sign of-" his sentence was interrupted by the sound of a low-pitched beeping sound. It played again, and again, getting faster each time. "Carl?"

"Easy, Frank?" Carl sarcastically echoed to his partner.

"GET AWAY!" Frank yelled, tackling the canine guard. They barely managed to get away from the orbs as they lit up, slightly grew in size, and... BOOM! The front gate was devastated by a gigantic explosion, creating a plume of fire and kicking up a cloud of dust. As the dust cleared, a giant opening was revealed where the front gate used to be. Alarms went off in the distance.

"By Angel!" Frank screamed. "Somebody's trying to break in! Protect the base!"

Just then, a giant, rolling metal ball emerged from the ground in front of the turtle and wolf anthros, looking nothing like the exploding orbs, aside from being round. It moved towards the base.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside, operators are sitting at the control center.

"Red alert! The front gate has been breached!" said a light human-type Mobian. "All armed men, move out! Protect this M.E.G.A. base and the Chaos Radar at all costs!"

"Sir, yes sir!" said a group of armed soldiers, consisting of both anthro-types and human-types.

The soldiers marched down the hallways of the base. The Multinational Elite Guardians of Agate, or M.E.G.A., for short, were in charge of defending the device, called the Chaos Radar, from the oncoming threat. Whatever could they need it for? Soon, the soldiers saw a pack of large, googly-eyed robots approaching them. Most of them looked like insects, lizards and aquatic creatures. Two bee-like robots shot at the soldiers. They reacted in self-defense, firing their machine guns at them. The bee-bots were taken down, revealing tiny things in small, spherical capsules in the process, but more took their place, and the soldiers were left vulnerable to being rammed by ladybug-bots.

Back in the control center, the one in charge was observing from the surrounding monitors all the chaos going down in the corridors.

"Carl, Frank, you had one job!" said the commanding human, aggravated by the turtle and wolf's failure. "These devils will never reach that radar!" He rushed towards a door to the right of the command center's supercomputer, trying to get somewhere before the invading robots did. He went down an empty hallway, went straight ahead at a point when he needed to choose a direction, when down a flight of stairs, took a left and then a right, until he got on an elevator, hoping to ride it up. He got At the end of his lift, he got off at a chamber with a containment system holding a glowing device. Right next to the system were four tough looking guards, standing at the ready.

"Don't worry, sir." said one of the tough, self-assured guards, looking like a man made of copper. "If they want a fight, we'll give them a good one. Besides, our technology will block off any tracking devices they have. They can forget reaching this room."

Back in the hallways, the soldiers were trying their best to keep the creature-like robots at bay, but they kept on coming. It was a metallic swarm. They were drawing the soldiers back, as their ammo diminished more and more by the second. Before too long, most of the soldiers were taken out, and the others were trapped in one of the base's larger rooms, which looked like a training room. As they tried to calm down and think of the way out of this jam, the giant ball that Carl and Frank saw earlier smashed it's way into the room. A soldier carrying a bazooka fired upon it, but the resulting blast had no effect. Then, it began to uncurl. It was a large, robotic pig.

"You know what?" said a cat soldier. "I have a feeling this is one of... Robotnik's creations."

"OK, time to break some bones!" the pig robot yelled. It's chest and stomach opened up, revealing large holes. Out of those holes fired pineapple-like objects. Upon reaching the soldiers, they exploded, blowing the soldiers away. The mechanical swine charged through the downed men in it's ball form.

Soldiers retreated to the control center, where the non-combatants were monitoring everything.

"Put the entire building on lockdown!" said one of the operators. "We'll need all the defense we need to fend off these guys!"

"The lockdown system isn't working!" another operator remarked, panicking.

"What?" the first operator shouted, in disbelief.

"Uh, sir?" said a rabbit soldier, pointing at a robotic turtle near the supercomputer. "We've got a sneaky one." He fired his gun at the turtle robot, but the bullet was deflected into his stomach.

"You like it?" said a calm voice on the supercomputer. "You guys at M.E.G.A. really thought ahead of time, creating a sophisticated machine that could block off the radar's signal. But by inserting my A.I. into this computer, I can see and do everything. I've crippled your pre-installed security weapons, disabled the lockdown and tracked the location of the room we need to reach."

"Who are you?" the second operator inquired.

"A friendly visitor to responsible military men." said the voice.

All of a sudden, the robot pig broke in. It grunted, releasing a wave of steam. It hurt to be around it. The soldiers fell on to their backs from the force of the steam, completely unable to fight anymore.

"You fleshy twerps thought you had good old Ball Hog outnumbered, but you were sadly mistaken." it said, revealing it's name. "Ball Hog is always number 1! Turbo, where's that radar?"

"Just take that doorway over by the computer, go straight ahead until you reach some stairs, go down them, make a left turn later, then a right, and take the elevator up to the highest floor." Turbo explained. "But not you, pork rind. It's the only elevator that'll get there." In moments, Turbo had left the computer and moved his A.I. into his robotic turtle body. Once in his true, physical form, he made a blue square appear from his eyes. "This is Turbo. I'm relaying you the information on the radar's location. It's all yours, boss."

"Excellent work!" said a low, growly voice on the other end of the communciation line Turbo was using. "Their reinforcements are depleting fast. Keep the Badnik Army active until there's nothing left of this M.E.G.A. base to stand in my way."

"Affirmative!" Turbo said, enthusiastically. He deployed wings from his shell, ready to move out.

"Armed men, defend the elevator!" the first operator ordered on a radio.

Ball Hog and Turbo headed towards the hallway leading to that elevator. Soldiers caught up to them, hoping to defeat them before they could the deed they came to do. They opened fire, but the two Badniks bounced back without any issues. Ball Hog shot grenades from his body, and Turbo could transform his hands into guns of his own. In the middle of this fight, a thundercloud appeared behind the soldiers, roasting them with lightning. Out from the cloud appeared a big, mechanical hen. It stood by Ball Hog and Turbo's side.

"Hey boys!" the hen Badnik called. "Give me a cut of the action!"

"Clucker!" Ball Hog yelled to his avian ally, exhilarated. "By all means!"

Right from the behind the Badniks came more soldiers. They had heavy weaponry, ready to unload on these intruders. Turbo and Ball Hog fired bullets and grenades at the soldiers before they could get the chance. Clucker showed the ability to fire high-voltage beams from her beak. Their opposition was rapidly decreasing. As things grew desperate, some soldiers in red uniforms came, armed with sharp and blunt melee weapons.

"Oh, this is classic." Turbo said, playfully. He transformed his guns into tether-like weapons. Ball Hog pulled out a spiky, flaming axe from a compartment on his waist, while Clucker plucked a feather from her own mechanical body, revealing it to be an electrified, iron club.

The red-clad soldiers fought hard, seemingly fighting on even grounds with the three bad robots at first, but they soon realized how outmatched they really. The autonomous trio blocked their every swing and managed to break their weapons. Clucker bludgeoned the defenseless Mobians, Ball Hog sliced them apart horizontally and Turbo squeezed them to death with his tether-like limbs. Eventually, every single fighter in the Badniks' way had turned into a heap on the floor.

"Glad to know the Robotnik Regime is still going strong. By Angel, i'm good." said that growly voice from Turbo's radio call. It's owner manifested itself next to the dead soldiers. It happens to be a tall, rotund, broad, imposing light human-type Mobian with a red jacket, black pants, green boots, white gloves, a bracelet on his right arm with a button, a green and yellow cape, grey shoulderpads, eyes with black sclera and red irises, a pink nose and a moustache exceeding the width of his head. "I may not have initially accounted for the technology M.E.G.A. deployed to protect their precious treasure, but with all the time in the world for me to spend strategizing, it was nothing I couldn't trounce."

"L-L-Lord Robotnik!" Turbo, Ball Hog and Clucker yelled, in unison. They kneeled before their leader.

"You know how much I enjoy serving you, boss." Turbo said.

"When we return to Metropolis, i'll treat us all to four-cheese hotpie." Robotnik declared, with a very smug expression. "Victory, come to papa!"

"You've done your part, machines. You can retreat." said a low, snake-like voice right beside Robotnik. It belonged to a brown anthro velociraptor-type Mobian with a black suit, black claws, a slightly-bloodshot left eye, a black ring on his left ring finger, red and yellow shoes and a bunch of yellow feathers on his head. "Lord Robotnik and I will be doing the honours."

"Yeah, yeah, Commander Rockbottom." Turbo murmured, disdainful of the lizard. "Just don't hit your head on the resistance you may face up above."

"Master Badniks, send yourselves and the Badnik Army back to headquarters!" Robotnik ordered, emphatically. "Me and Commander Rockbottom will be the ones to let them know the time has come!"

As Doctor Robotnik and Rockbottom walked off, seeking the elevator, the three Master Badniks stood there.

"My woman." said Ball Hog, trading elbow nudges with Clucker.

"My man." said Clucker, while she and her partners nudged one another.

"You know, guys?" Turbo thought out loud. "I've always hated Rockbottom Raptor. I never liked how spiteful and quiet that guy is. I wonder if he even has Lord Robotnik's best interests at heart?"

"Here's my question." Ball Hog started, changing the subject. "Has anyone seen Phage?" Turbo and Clucker shrugged in response.

Up above, on the base's highest level, the head honcho and the tough guards are still standing by the machine containing the Chaos Radar. The guards have their, well, guard up, waiting for the leader's command. They were eyeing the elevator in anticipation. They didn't know what kinds of robotic enemies were going to come out of those doors; it could be anything, and they would have to bring it down. As tension built up in these fine Mobians, the elevator made a 'ding' sound, signifying the approach of danger. The doors opened, revealing none other than Doctor Robotnik. He stepped out, as the silhouette of Rockbottom dashed up to the ceiling. The four guards, the copperman, a polar bear, a bull and an alligator pointed their weapons at the large man.

"So, you've come alone, Robotnik." said the copperman. "If you were feeling lucky up to this point, i'm afraid it's run out. You have one chance to cease your attack and get lost!"

"Hold on, dear boy." Robotnik laughed. "I'm not here to put up a fight. I'm just here for a little negotiation. Which is to say there won't be much of a fight at all."

"Not walking, huh?" the polar bear remarked.

"All of you, attack!" the human leader yelled, pointing at the big old man.

The alligator pulled out a large assault rifle, firing it upon Robotnik. The doctor covered himself up in his cape. All the bullets bounced off the cape, as if it was made of a highly strong substance. The bull took out a rocket launcher and shot it at the doctor while he was busy blocking the bullets from the alligator. Robotnik moved to the right a bit and grabbed the rocket, spun around and flung it towards the alligator. The alligator barely dodged, but his assault rifle was knocked out of his hand and destroyed by the rocket's explosion. The polar bear took his spear and tried to stab Robotnik, but the despotic scientist grabbed the front of it. The polar bear turned on the spear's electrification feature, but not before Robotnik bent it towards the weapon's owner and released it. He punched the spear into the polar bear chest and gave him a nasty shock, sending him down to the floor. While Robotnik was distracted, the copperman attempted to smash him with his mace. Robotnik clasped his hands together, stopping the mace. Using the situation to his advantage, he mustered lots of strength, lifting the copperman off and ground and throwing him across the room. The mad genius made his way to the containment system and started typing on the buttons.

"You're good, Robotnik." said the leader, begrudgingly. "But you won't beat these guys so easily. Especially not alone."

"Oh, sure. The world's greatest scientific genius is all alone." Robotnik sarcastically retorted, typing away. "You know what they say about assuming, young man."

"Well, I don't have to assume your downfall. You can fail right here." the leader stated, in a matter-of-fact tone. "And fail, you will." All the tough guards were ready for another round. The bull was ready to fire off his rocket launcher once more, when... STAB! A seething hot sword penetrated the bull's armor and body, causing the life in him to ebb almost instantly. The sword pulled back from the bull's body, and he fell to the ground. Rockbottom had shown himself.

"Should've seen something coming." Rockbottom remarked, devilishly.

"Rockbottom Raptor!" the alligator yelled, recognizing the lizard. He then began to chuckle. "The former prince of the criminal underworld, still working for a man like this. Where did you sink so low?"

"Where did you fall so hard to work for a delicate, obscure organization?" Rockbottom fired back. "There's a society filled with fighting kids that is taken more seriously than you."

"HOW DARE YOU!" the alligator shrieked, pulling out two revolvers. He fired both of them, only to see Rockbottom slice apart both of the bullets with a single swing, then the revolvers themselves, then the alligator's hands, before kicking him to the ground, finishing him off by spitting saliva on him. The saliva was poisonous, and thus left the alligator in excruciating pain, unable to get up.

The polar bear, having fixed his spear, charged into Rockbottom from the back, actually managing to stab him. However, the raptor pulls away from the tip and jumps at the polar bear, clawing him in the face. When he got behind the polar bear, who was blinded by the slash, he decides to let him strike at him fruitlessly. Just then, the copperman came at him, trying to hit the raptor with that big mace. Rockbottom tricks the sightless polar bear into striking the copperman with the spear and electrocuting him. This provokes the copperman into hitting the polar bear with the mace, taking him out. The leader is watching all this with absolute shock and horror.

"ARGH!" the copperman yelled. "Rockbottom! I'll end you!"

"You mean like you did with your friend?" Rockbottom asked, fiendishly. "That's the reality of unrealistic hopes. They're only meant to be dashed."

"DIE!" the copperman shrieked, at the very top of his lungs, preparing to smash the raptor with his blunt, spiky weapon.

The battle continued. Rockbottom swiftly dashed towards the copperman and scratched up his chest with those two sets of sharp, black claws. Every scratch hurt. As the copperman put his hands on his chest, Rockbottom slide underneath him and bit him on back, driving those sharp teeth into his copper flesh. Not only that, but he mixed that with his poisonous saliva, dealing horrible damage to the copperman. The once proud guard was losing energy. But, he still wanted to go out fighting. As his vision blurred, he pointed his head straight at Rockbottom.

"Die, raptor." the copperman said, weakly, holding up his mace one more time.

"Don't plan to." Rockbottom noted, sword in hand. "My thermal dragon fang can rip you apart." he continued, in a matter-of-fact voice. "And rip you apart, it will."

With nothing left to say, the copperman stumbled furiously towards Rockbottom, ready for another swing of his mace. Rockbottom ran towards him, preparing to swing the thermal dragon fang for what seemed like the finishing blow. They clashed, and weapons clanged. They were beside each other with their weapons on the ground. Rockbottom felt a sudden, sharp pain in his shoulder that made him breathe heavily. As for the copperman, his entire torso slid off his lower body and hit the floor with a loud bang. His lower body collapsed, afterwards. With that, the last of the Chaos Radar's mighty guardians was soundly defeated. The leader wanted to scream, but could only emit the slightest gagging sound.

"Not exactly a platinum 'S' performance, but that was worth an 'A+', commander." said Doctor Robotnik on his subordinate's fight, while still typing on the containment system's keyboard.

"What is a grade to a master of slaughter?" Rockbottom coldly cracked.

"There, all done." Robotnik confirmed, successfully unlocking the containment system. "At long last, the Chaos Radar is MINE!"

"Yes it is, Lord Robotnik." said Rockbottom, without a hint of venom in his tone.

The containment system opened up, revealing the radiant, technological beauty of the Chaos Radar. Robotnik removes it from the system and holds in his hands. He pushes a button on the radar, activating a homing device. A large map projects out of the radar, showing places where Chaos Emeralds can be found.

"YES!" Robotnik yipped. "With this radar, our search for the Chaos Emeralds will be easier than ever before. Those miracle gems have slipped away from our hands for too long, and now we have the tool to solve all of our problems. A tool that even I had trouble replicating. But, it gets better." Robotnik pushed a button on the side of the radar, revealing a white gemstone inside. "This elusive piece of tech was built AROUND a Chaos Emerald. The Chaos Quartz." suddenly, he erupted into a raucous fit of laughter.

"One down, six to go." said Rockbottom, feeling accomplished. "Just going to have to avoid the Fighters' Fellowship out there while we're looking. If those hopeless worms want to find us, interfere with our work, I promise they'll end up like these four buffoons. If it's a fight they want, i'll give them a good one."

"Well, i'd love to see them try." Robotnik chortled. "Let's go. Ooh, yeah! I got it! I'm awesome! Yohoho!" he danced and laughed over his victory as he and his reptilian commander headed for the elevator back down the building. "By the way, big cheese. You're not on our hotpie!" he called out to the base's leader, who could only sit there, terrified. Eventually, the figure of authority fainted, unable to take anymore.

* * *

As the battle for the Chaos Radar inside the M.E.G.A. base comes to it's conclusion, let's cut over to another part of Westside Island. It's still morning, the grass is looking vividly green, the water is a glistering blue, and the sun is smiling on checkered hills. The calm of these hills is broken by a blazing, blue streak speeding by, way too fast for the naked eye. The one moving at this speed is a blue hedgehog boy, wearing two white gloves, a pair of red, buckled shoes, and a tracksuit made up of greens, reds and yellows. He whizzes past lakes, runs through a loop, like what you see on a roller coaster, jumps around pointy rocks and rolls down a slope to build enough speed to run up a plateau. After one last backwards flip, he sticks the landing.

"Ah, the sweet smell of freedom!" remarked the boy, joyfully. "And gosh, I love this tracksuit! It's way past sturdy, just like my sneakers!"

"Sonic!" called a young sounding voice. The owner is a male, two-tailed, orange fox cub, who's flying towards the position of the hedgehog, named Sonic, with the uncanny ability to twist his tails around like a helicopter rotor, making a slight breeze. The fox cub is wearing gear you would expect from a biplane pilot. "I see you got your exercise?"

"Oh yeah, Tails!" Sonic replied, with absolute delight in his voice. "I feel like i've been reborn! Finally, my legs have all the room to stretch!"

"I'm happy for you, big bro. But, I think you forgot something." Tails pointed out, eyeing the area that Sonic just went through. Sonic looked back to see what he left behind. Over in the distance were three, anthro-type Mobians, slowly approaching the place where Sonic and Tails are standing.

"Oh." said Sonic, chuckling. "Well, I did challenge them to keep up. Contrary to common belief, slow and steady DOESN'T win the race." Tails gave his hedgehog brother an elbow on the arm, as they both began to walk down the plateau and towards the nearby lake.

"Well, you know it's common for a reason." Tails remarked.

"Just because it's common, doesn't mean it's a guarantee, little bro." Sonic responded. "Being common just means it's a popular idea tossed around like trading cards."

"But it's not entirely about the abundancy. What really counts is the principle." explained Tails. "It encourages methods towards success, showing the value of patience and diligence."

"Perhaps so, but I know a way that works for me." Sonic added. "No time to think about what I have to do, I just have to do it."

"Right." said Tails. "That has been you, for many years now. Oh, look." the fox cub noticed three golden rings hanging in a row between two palm trees. He went up to them and picked each one off. "Let's split these. You can hold this one." Tails gave one of the golden rings to Sonic. Sonic held the ring in his hands, looking down on it with a smile. "It's a sign of however far apart we get, we'll get back together, no matter the pace."

"A fast pace is always nice." Sonic joked.

"I'll hold this one, as my sign of gratitude to our team." Tails declared. "It shows that i'll always be thankful for finding a family in you, in Uncle Chuck, and even better, making some great friends. Tiara, Jun, Flex, you guys have been cool. Nothing has been able to break our bond to this very day."

Sonic scratched the back of his head, smiling and blushing a bit. He had been with his little fox brother for a very long time at this point in time, raising him to be part of their team, but he was glowing red from the sound of Tails expressing such affection. There was only one ring left.

"This last one can go to the others, and together, we can point it towards the stars this Herigreen." Tails decided.

"Oh, you." said Sonic, red-faced. "I can barely stand this sentimentality- look out!" Sonic pushed Tails out of the way and got bumped by a ladybug-like Badnik. It was one of the Badniks that attacked the M.E.G.A. base on the other side of the island. The three rings scattered. "Hey, buddy! You mind watching where you're going?" he shouted, annoyed. Sonic then got a good look at this sudden troublemaker. "Huh, figures. You're one of that Robotnik dude's clunkers. Never seen any like you before."

The ladybug Badnik turned around to face Sonic, glaring with it's googly-eyes, intent on ramming the hedgehog. It dashed toward the blue boy, but the latter effortlessly dodged. With every attack it tried, Sonic sidestepped or jumped to avoid it. Then it tried to confuse Sonic by dashing around him in a circle, but the needlemouse was not going to fall for this. Sonic hit the Badnik with a breakdance kick, causing it to veer out of control. When it was vulnerable, the hedgehog jumped in the air, curled up into a ball, spun around vertically and dropped on the Badnik. He bounced off it's back and landed perfectly on the ground next to it. Right at that moment, the ladybug-bot menace exploded into motionless scrap. When the smoke cleared, a ball capsule emerged from the wreckage, carrying a tiny, blue, avian creature. Sonic and Tails recognized it.

"A flicky." said Sonic.

"Oh, that poor thing." said Tails, worried about the flicky's health. He picked up the capsule carrying the frightened creature. "This is a very tough containment unit. The explosion didn't damage it at all. What is this made of?"

"That's curious." Sonic remarked. "I'm used to these guys being fueled by things like flower seeds, or strange chemicals, or even sticks of light. Why fauna, all of a sudden?"

"Well, whatever the case, we've got more company." Tails commented, pointing out the arrival of more Badniks. A bunch of bee-bots were there, along with crab-bots. "Still need a workout?"

"Pretty much all the time, bro!" Sonic replied, with utmost certainty. He immediately sped towards the Badniks, taking out a bunch of bee-bots with his Spin Attack. He spun into crab-bots, destroying them, as well. More tiny creatures in ball capsules came out with every Badnik defeated. While Sonic was spinning along, some bee-bots at a higher altitude began firing heir stinger guns on him. He skillfully dodged the assault of bullets until Tails flew up to them and smashed each one with his twirling tails. Sonic gave his little brother a thumbs up for the assist.

"Watch out, Sonic!" Tails called out, alerting his big brother to what was behind him. It was a bunch of crab-bots, aiming their wide-open claws, ready to fire off a barrage of missiles. They shot at the hedgehog with extreme prejudice. The blasts of these projectiles weren't the biggest, but they were deadly all the same. Sonic was kept on his toes. Tails flew behind the crab-bots and broke them easily with his namesakes. When two of them pointed their missile claws at him, he flew up as they fired, causing them to hit themselves. The fox cub joined up with the blue hedgehog, as the Badniks kept on coming their way. More ladybug-bots joined the bee-bots and crab-bots.

"So, that bug wasn't alone." Sonic stated.

"No kidding, they've got us surrounded." said Tails, nervous.

"Good thing there's something I always adhere to." Sonic began to point out. "Never giving up. Tails, grab me." He held out his hand to Tails, and the fox nodded, giving him a lift into the air. Tails moved away from the Badniks quickly, as they opened fire on him. He got into position, making sure he was seeing the Badniks in a straight row. He then spun around to build up force and flung the hedgehog forward as hard as he could. Sonic entered his ball form, charging at the Badniks like a high-speed racing vehicle. His impact with the ladybug-bots and crab-bots caused them all to break apart and launch into the air, tearing up the airborne bee-bots, too. The entire row was cleared out. Sonic and Tails had won this fight. "Woo! That was tight!" the hedgehog hollered. "Though, I hate to admit I do have a few scratches."

All the small creatures trapped inside those robotic shells were freed. However, they were still crammed inside the ball capsules. Neither Sonic nor Tails had any idea how to break these things, when nothing, not even that final Spin Attack was able to bust the little ones out. Whatever it was that Robotnik made to contain the fauna of Mobius, it was some of the toughest material on the planet. They took a closer look at the ball capsule, looking for something they could touch to free the creatures inside.

"Is there anything?" Sonic asked. "A label? A button? Nah, probably no button. But, maybe some kind of thing you can push or pull?"

"Oh, I found something." Tails responded, realizing something. "I bet if I push this peculiar round spot here..." He had found a spot on one of the ball capsules that looked like a lid. Pushing it, he managed to make it come off, making an opening. The flicky inside instantly went outside the ball capsule, happy to be free. "This is it!"

"Neat!" Sonic yipped.

Together, they went through all the ball capsules they managed to free from their Badnik prisons, pushing all the lids and freeing every single small creature, including a bunch of sea creatures, and other kinds of avian creatures, and some land creatures. Once they freed the last little creature, they were really feeling like they got a workout.

"Hoo boy, I am just aching... for a chili dog with cheese and onions." said Sonic, hungry. "Probably should've had old uncle Chuck pack me some before we took off."

"Well, no use dwelling on missed opportunities." Tails remarked. "Hopefully, our friends will be catching up soon."

They walked around the grass-covered path until they reached a bridge. They crossed but, when out of the water below, a piranha Badnik jumped out and tried to bite them. Sonic, with his quick reflexes, noticed and kicked it away, destroying it and releasing another flicky by pressing the ball capsule's lid with his right index finger. It was very precise, like Sonic just knew where he had to tap it as it came out of the Badnik.

"Geez, what a persistent bunch." Sonic scoffed. He and Tails walked to the other side of the bridge, without any other difficulties. "I really like Emerald Hill. It's my kind of place to relax and explore."

"I've always wanted to study the legends behind this place." Tails added. "Did you know this place has been referred to as The Illusionary Island?"

"Is that a fact?" Sonic asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, it received that name because of a stone." Tails began. "A stone that basically ran an entire civilization back in ancient times. This stone was said to have granted all wishes, by taking a person's illusions and constructing a new reality for them based on their ideas. It was brought to the mortal plane by gods, hoping to bring happiness to this civilization. However, everything fell apart when the people went to war with another clan. There was ravenous hunger for the stone's limitless power, and when their desires got out of hand, the stone went out of control, bringing about an age of darkness. Because of this, the stone had to be sealed away in another realm, never to be used by any mortal being again. Along with that stone, all the realized illusions were taken away. Before you ask, I read this in a history book once."

"Wow, that's quite a hefty story." Sonic commented. "This stone kind of sounds like the Chaos Emeralds."

"Well, the Chaos Emeralds are mainly known to power things up." Tails noted. "Their purpose is to supply infinite energy enriched by people's thoughts. They can't bring your fantasies to life."

Just then, a lizard Badnik appears on a palm tree, like a chameleon, ready to shoot a mouth blast at the duo. Suddenly, it's destroyed by a ring-like weapon, which floats back to whoever threw it. It's a manx cat girl in a sporty red and green ensemble, with a grey harness on her torso and a yellow sash wrapped around her midsection. Her hair is wrapped up in a ponytail with a big, yellow bow on top and a couple of small bows of the same colour on the sides of her head. Sonic and Tails turn their head towards this character.

"Tiara!" Tails called out to the girl.

"Next time, pick a challenge that's feasible." Tiara, the manx, said, walking towards her allies. "You get too eager too easily, Sonic."

"Well, sorry, you're too slow." Sonic quipped.

"Well, sorry, you're too FAST." Tiara retaliated.

"She's got you there, blue." said a deep voice coming from the bridge. It was a big armadillo with a stern face and a pair of green and yellow shorts.

"If it's any compensation, I didn't ask to be so awesome, Flex." said Sonic, jokingly.

"It isn't." said the armadillo, named Flex.

A monkey approached Sonic, wearing a green and yellow martial artist uniform and carrying a triple staff.

"Hey, Jun." Sonic greeted.

"No offense, Sonic, but you need to be a little more considerate of the team." the monkey, Jun, advised. "I respect that you love all the freedom to wander the world we have now. Just try not to do anything else that could cause friction. We've always needed each other before, and I think we still do now."

"You're right." Sonic admitted. "But, looking at that horizon, I just want to really roam free, take it at my own pace, and not have to share the glory."

"Well, i'm certain you'll find it more fulfilling to experience the glory with us." said Tiara, confidently. "Now, as team leader, i'm going to make sure that the organization and cooperation of this group stays strong."

"Remind me." Sonic objected. "Why do you call yourself "team leader" again?"

"Who's the one who taught you guys the importance of attacking as a team rather than just one-by-one?" Tiara asked. "Who's the one who helped organize that strategic attack on those vigilant SWATbots? Who's the one who pulled our whole group together when we were seeking out that enemy hideout? And lastly, who's the one that thought to use all matter of objects in the vicinity, including some random rings, to jam an energy weapon?"

"You." Sonic answered. "I get it. I just hope that kind of leadership will suffice in the battles yet to come."

"Don't worry, pal." said Tiara, so self-assured. "I've trained every day for the responsibility of a team leader, and I don't plan to disappoint anyone."

"Hey Tia." said Tails. "Do you think you'll plan to join the Fighters' Fellowship?"

"Nah." Tiara replied, uninterested in the idea. "Too many politics involved. Boring! I'd rather we do things our way. Our own way."

"That I can definitely agree upon." Sonic agreed, nodding his head up and down. "Well guys, it looks like the pages of a new chapter are turning. It's a brand new day, with a brand new adventure for Sonic the Hedgehog."

Sonic, Tails, Tiara, Jun and Flex marched forward through Emerald Hill. What adventures lie ahead for them? How much closer will Doctor Ivo Robotnik get to his goals with the Chaos Radar in hand? Can the heroes get to the Chaos Emeralds first? What other people are fighting the Robotnik Regime and the Badnik Army out there? Find out next time on...

Sonic Synthesis


	3. Chapter 2: Chemical Action

Chapter 2: Chemical Action

Somewhere, in a mountainous region of Westside Island, a bright, vivid, technologically advanced city stands, boasting buildings that nearly reach the clouds in the sky. The place is filled with flying vehicles going from place to place, large guns manned by Badniks, tube-shaped transport tunnels made of see-through material and factories with smokestacks protuding jet black fumes. Doctor Robotnik and his minions are flying through this city right now in three hovering vehicles.

"Five seconds, Lord Robotnik." said Turbo, flying his master's vehicle through a transport tunnel.

"Yohoho!" Robotnik laughed, sitting next to Turbo and Rockbottom. "What a good morning, indeed. Launched a full frontal assault, snagged a valuable device and came home closer to my goals than ever before."

As Robotnik reminisced about his day, his hovering vehicle passed through the tunnel and a series of giant, automated doors, along with the other two vehicles trailing behind it, piloted by Ball Hog and Clucker, respectively. After the last door, they arrived at a landing site, setting the vehicles on top of a big, circular pad.

"Whenever i'm away on business, I do miss the beautiful sites of Metropolis." Robotnik stated, fondly. "Everyone, join me in my laboratory." He jumped out of his vehicle, to be greeted by two orange, tall, humanoid Badniks with glowing, blue grins, spherical shoulders, large, four-fingered hands and wide, egg-shaped torsos with four headlamps on them.

"Welcome back, Lord Robotnik." the two Badniks greeted in unison, crossing their arms.

Rockbottom, Turbo, Ball Hog and Clucker jumped down from the vehicles they rode, following their leader. They all approached an oval-shaped gate, occupied by the orange Badnik duo. It opened, letting the five evildoers in. After walking for some time down a hallway, they entered a high-tech laboratory with chairs and a series of computer consoles.

"My lord." Rockbottom started, rubbing his shoulder wound. "With the Chaos Radar in our possession, we can speed up the search for the other Emeralds substantially. But we need a plan to find them efficiently."

"Which is why I have my Universal Badnik Communicator." Robotnik stated, pointing at a particularly large supercomputer, shaped like a cylindrical hologram between two metal discs. "By installing the Radar's map into this console, I can download it into the entire Badnik Army. When all of my minions know where find the Emeralds, i'll have all 7 within a matter of days." He inserts the Chaos Radar into a round slot on the big console in front of him, closing it afterwards. He begins tapping a few buttons.

"Very well." Rockbottom agreed. "But the Fighters have been growing just as much as our empire, you know. Those vermin are a source of continuous vexation."

"Oh, believe me." said Robotnik, assured. "They have been a significant pest for the last decade, but now I have the edge over them. Trust me." After hitting one last button, the Chaos Radar quickly installs into the system. A hologram took form on the computer, depicting Badniks of various kinds, like the ladybug-bots, the bee-bots, the crab-bots, and some others shaped like monkeys, spiders, caterpillars, bats and spiky anemones. Even the tall, orange Badniks were displayed. They all glowed with what looked like white energy. a big '100%' was spelled out on the cylinder. "Yes! All of my Badniks have successfully received the coordinates. Do I have faithful army, or what?"

"Wow, I had no clue." Rockbottom sarcastically responded. "Now, about the agreement."

"Ah yes." Robotnik said, remembering what he said back at the M.E.G.A. base. He pressed another button on the computer console, held it down and began to speak. "My beautiful Badnik Army, this is Doctor Robotnik. Assemble into six squads and advance on the locations of the Emeralds marked on the map I have sent you." He ordered his troops. He let go of the button after that, turning off his intercom. "Now, i'll order us that four-cheese hotpie I promised, and then i'm going out to supervise the operation and ensure that nothing goes south. Commander Rockbottom, you'll be in charge of my Robian labour force. Turbo, keep everyone updated on the Ovoid Destroyer Project." He then walked into another room through an automatic door.

"Yes, Lord Robotnik." said Rockbottom, bowing.

"You got it, boss." said Turbo. The turtle-shaped Master Badnik hooked up his body to the supercomputer, transferring his A.I. into it. He appeared in the cylinder as a holographic turtle face. "Since he brought up the Robians, I have to ask. Why don't YOU get robotomized, Commander? It could save you alot of blood and sweat. Well, ALL of it."

"Though I am wounded, I recover quickly." Rockbottom replied, disdainfully. "I pledged loyalty to this Regime as one with a life debt to it's leader, and he knows my evergrowing potential. Many times i've outperformed you machines." He put his claws on Turbo's currently inactive Badnik body.

"I think i've touched a nerve." Turbo snarked, noticing his body being threatened. "You know that your finite energy reserves could be remedied easily."

Don't talk to me about what's finite!" Rockbottom snapped, clutching Turbo's body. "I grow with every battle I survive, while robots stagnate, thanks to the limitations of their parts. For as long as Lord Robotnik runs this empire with me, i'll work with you for the cause. I'll never BE one of you." He then clawed down on Turbo's metallic shell, leaving scratch marks. "As your Commander, I demand you recognize that fact, Tommy." He then left the room through another automatic door, which is on the opposite end of the laboratory from the door Robotnik went through earlier.

Turbo paused and gasped at the mention of the name "Tommy", as if it was a forbidden word. For a moment, he could only mumble. He then shook his head before turning his holographic head into a large, egg-shaped image.

"Anyway, the Ovoid Destroyer Project is 92% complete." Tommy reported, regarding the object he displayed on the supercomputer. "For that remaining 8%, we need..."

"Uh, nobody's answered me yet." Ball Hog interrupted. "Seriously, where the heck is Phage?"

"How should I know?" Clucker answered, annoyed. "That girl's really slippery." Turbo groaned at his fellow Master Badniks.

"Oh yeah." Robotnik said, suddenly coming back into the laboratory through that first automatic door. "Ball Hog, Clucker, watch over the Chemical Plant at Emerald Hill. I need some muscle to keep Mega Mack production up and running. Also, hotpie's on the way." He then returned to where he was before.

"It's an honest question." Ball Hog insisted, hoping for an answer.

* * *

Back in Emerald Hill, miles upon miles away from Metropolis, Sonic and his four companions are travelling across the plains of Emerald Hill. They haven't encountered another Badnik since the battle from earlier that day. Right now, they're looking for a settlement where they can take the load off.

"Yo, Tails!" Tiara called up to the sky. "Do you see any houses?"

Up in the air, Tails is flying high with his namesakes twirling, observing the wider area around him and his companions.

"I see trees! Lots and lots of trees!" The fox cub responded. "And a big lake!"

A growling sound was heard. It was Sonic's stomach.

"Definitely should've brought a snack kit." Sonic moaned. "This is trying my patience, and my stomach's."

"Easy, man." Jun said. "Hunger's like an itch, thought of it breeds undue woe. Find your green meadow."

"I appreciate your poetry, Jun." Sonic commented, smiling a bit. "But I can't let anything spoil my running. Not after Uncle Chuck granted me this chance."

"US." Tiara corrected. "It's always been US."

"I know that." Sonic said back. He put his hands around his mouth and looked up to the sky. "Tails! Anything yet?"

"I'm trying to get a closer look at every direction!" Tails cried from above. "Actually, i'm getting a little tired up here!"

"OK, he should come down." Sonic suggested. "I'm sure I could find a town if I just quickly pace around the area."

"Yeah, no; I wouldn't put the slightest stock in that idea." Tiara chastised. "As team leader, I have a right to keep this group together tightly. You, Sonic, have always been the loosest."

"She's not wrong." Flex concurred. "I've had to find and protect you pretty often."

"Come on, guys." Sonic grumbled. "It'll just be a skip and a hop."

Flex let out a "hmph!" to express his doubt.

"Heard that one before." Tiara murmured.

"Speaking of which." said Tails, coming down from above, looking a bit exhausted. "It took a while, but i've found a place. Just 20 minutes northeast, and we'll reach civilization." He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Green meadow, Sonic." said Jun. "It's a lush, green meadow from here to there."

"And hey, the day is still young." Tails reminded his brother. "You must still have some glucose to spare."

"Ah, sure." Sonic said, smiling a bigger smile than before. He dashed off northeast, but then caught himself. Thinking of his brother and friends, he slowed down. Having to move less hastily made him groan.

"Forward, team!" Tiara called out to her friends, pointing northeast.

* * *

A few miles away from Sonic and company's current position, an industrial plant towers over the green fields of Emerald Hill. The metallic walls and floors of this place consist of purples, blues, yellows and greys. Inside, there's self-operating machinery producing two types of unpleasant liquid: one blue, and the other purple. The blue kind flows through see-through tubes, while the purple kind travels throughout the plant's lower area, like a lake. Ball Hog and Clucker are observing the premises of this terrible factory through telescopes.

"See anything yet, my woman?" Ball Hog asked through a communication device.

"About the same things I did when you last asked me that." Clucker replied snarkily into her own communication device, from the other side of the facility.

"Man, if I don't get somebody to punch..." Ball Hog murmured. "Oh. Oh! I see somebody!"

"What?" Clucker asked, frantically.

"I see... five little creatures." Ball Hog confirmed, gazing through his telescope and spotting five Mobian figures coming towards a town that happens to be not far from the Chemical Plant. "I must be a most fortunate pig."

"OK, my man!" Clucker said, psyched. "This is just what the doctor ordered!"

* * *

Back with Sonic and friends, they have arrived at the town near the Chemical Plant after walking for a good while. There are two-story houses, cars, and shops. But, it all looks very dreary. The vegetation is dead, the houses look murky, the shops are abandoned, the cars are wrecked and nobody is around.

"Hoo!" Sonic panted. "Finally, we made it to- by Angel. Haven't we been here?"

"This is Peridot Town." said Tiara, recognizing the place. "We used to fly over here with Chuck all the time when we were younger. What happened to it?"

"I'll answer that question, young lady." said an elderly voice. It was an aged, male anthro-type Mobian bear with a blue coat and yellow pants. He got a good look at the five young Mobians and suddenly realized something. "Hey, you're Charles' kids. My, have you all grown up. Long time, no see."

"Good eye." Sonic complimented, before his stomach growled again, prompting him to clutch it. "Oy vey."

"Well, more these guys than me." said Tails, humbly.

"Always a pleasure, dear old friend." said Jun, bowing with his hands clasped together.

Flex gave a simple thumbs up and a smile.

"Salutations, Banjo." Tiara greeted. "Man, it's been several years since we've been here. This place has seen way better days, huh?"

"I think he'll take offense." Flex remarked. Tiara shrugged at him.

"No, she's right." Banjo affirmed. "Peridot Town's golden days are far behind it. Robotnik's influence, for the last decade, has been most unkind to this little burg. Even the Fighters' Fellowship and M.E.G.A. have deemed this place beyond saving. For that, the Peridot community has decided to relocate to a new home."

"But, Badniks and all other sorts of surly types are everywhere." Tiara noted. "Where will you all go?"

"Wherever the grass is greener, dear." said Banjo. "At least somewhere far away from that factory over on Corkscrew Mountain. That sure hasn't helped, what with it tainting our water." He pointed towards the Chemical Plant, sitting on top of a nearby mountain with a twisting pathway.

"How long has that been standing?" Sonic inquired.

"For a few years, it's been constantly pumping out this horrific substance." Banjo replied. "I hear many of gone in there, but all have fallen victim to what lies within. It's a heavily defended place."

"You're kidding me!" Sonic said in disbelief. "Somebody made of stern stuff has got to inspect that dump immediately!"

"Sonic!" Tiara snapped. "Look at this place! I doubt doing something about the factory is going to make a difference now. Besides, I know you just want to smash things senselessly, like you wanted to do to that energy weapon. You're gonna come into contact with things that could really hurt you, if not kill you outright."

"C'mon, Tia. It's me." Sonic reminded his old friend. "When I see a problem, I gotta take care of it at a desirable pace. Robotnik's things are like wildfire, and they gotta go out. But of course, I shouldn't be in a rush. I'm hungry. Banjo, can we get some food?"

"Sure you can." Banjo affirmed. "Our resident cook may have closed up her shop, but she will still accommodate."

The six anthro-type Mobians walked along the dark streets of the ruined Peridot Town until they reached a bunch of moving vehicles. They approached the back of one of the vehicles, where they met a bunch of other anthro-type Mobians.

"Piccolo!" Banjo called. "We've got mouths to feed."

"I know!" said a female anthro-type Mobian panda, solemnly. Then she gets a look at the five children accompanying the male bear. "Oh, it's Charles' kids. Long time, no see."

"You kids remember my wife, Piccolo?" Banjo asked the five travelers.

"Do I?!" Sonic yipped, happily. "Best chili dogs ever served! OK, one beefy sausage on a bun with chili, cheese and onions. Please."

Piccolo enthusiastically grabbed some cooking equipment from the other end of the vehicle. Within a few moments, she had heated up a big sausage and placed it into a soft, open bun, filled it up with chili, melted some cheese into it and sprinkled onions all over it. Sonic quickly, but carefully munched down his meal, feeling totally satisfied. He washed it down with an energy drink.

"OK, i'm ready to go." said Sonic, feeling lively once again. "I'm about to barge right into that factory and give it to the manage-"

"Wait!" Tiara yelled. "This is no game. I don't mean to be a nag, but do you really think it'll be worth busting your butt to tear down that factory when the damage has been done and you have no idea of what's waiting for you in there?"

"Better question." Flex suggested. "Do I have to tie you down, Sonic?

"Hey, even if I contribute little to a better tomorrow, it'll still count as a contribution, darn it." Sonic said, running in place with obvious eagerness to get moving. "Relax already, i'll be over there and right back here before you know it."

"I'd rather we stick together, but I believe you know what to do." Tails said, faithfully.

"I guess if someone has to go, it has to be the one who's the quickest on his feet." Jun figured.

"Oh, I didn't know we were encouraging him now." Flex grumbled.

"OK, do what you have to." Tiara said, accepting the hedgehog boy's decision. "But what about the rest of us?"

"Hey, you're the team leader, Tia." Sonic reminded the manx girl, beginning to spin his feet like wheels. "You'll figure things out. No need to wish me good luck. See you later. Bye!" He ran off at a high speed towards the Chemical Plant, leaving a trail of dust and wind behind. Tails, Tiara, Jun, Flex, Banjo and Piccolo cover their eyes to protect them from the small storm that Sonic kicked up.

"Friendship is profound." Jun started.

"I'll say." Flex sighed.

"C'mon, Flex." Tails protested.

"When a chance has been taken, character is told." Jun finished.

"And now, Sonic's GOT a chance." Tiara remarked. "Who am I to deny him of thrills?" She looked up at the dark clouds in the sky and turned her look of concern into a genuine smile. He earned this one, she thought.

* * *

Sonic, at a speed befitting his name, ran up the spiraling path of Corkscrew Mountain until he reached the entrance of the Chemical Plant. He was certainly in for a nasty surprise.

"Ah, finally." said Sonic. "Just what I wanted. Time to examine this rathole from the inside." He jogged right through the entrance of the plant, when he was greeted with a bunch of blue orbs wizzing past him. "What was that?" He then barely dodged another chain of blue orbs. "Whoa!" He checked his surroundings and realized where they were coming from. There were openings all over the walls, the ceiling and even the floor, filled with some kind of blue stuff. More of the blue orb snakes rapildy popped out of these other openings.

The patterns of these snakes were sporadic. They would come from the right going the floor, ceiling or left wall. They would go straight up and straight down, or swerve to either the left or the right after leaping out from the ground or ceiling. Sonic would have to sidestep, duck and jump to move out of their way. It was a bit of a long hallway, but he managed to make it to the other side. Unfortunately, the wall ahead opened up more jets for the snakes to shoot from. They fired upon Sonic furiously, giving him a lot to dodge. After veering away from their trajectory several more times with skillful crouches, jumps and slight turns, he got to the wall and all the jets stopped.

"Dang!" Sonic barked, sweating. "Not the turn of events I expected. What else does this funhouse have?" He found a button on the wall. Figuring that it had to do something to help him progress, he pushed it. A door opened when he did, revealing a staircase. "Aw, neat." He swiftly ran up the stairs, entering a new room. An empty, huge room with a featureless, yellow floor. Shrugging, he decided to casually walk across. That was when...

BANG! Part of the floor dropped from beneath the hedgehog. He stumbled a bit, but managed to keep his balance together. When he moved backward, another part of the floor dropped from underneath. He almost fell down below, but he managed to grab onto something - the first lowered floor tile. He quickly climbed back up to the higher area just before the tile returned to it's original position. He balanced on the really thin flooring and lept back to his starting position.

"Holy crud!" Sonic pant. "That was not cool. They spared no expense on this death trap. Well, at least I know they didn't account for this." He spun his legs like wheels again and prepared to charge forward.

He took off, and all the floor tiles he ran across dropped down... except for this line of tiles in the middle of the room, which sprung up high and launched Sonic backwards. Thankfully, it was all the way back to the beginning instead of into an open tile.

"Ow!" Sonic moaned. He was starting to get annoyed. "Alright, room. I'll play along. Nice and easy." He composed himself.

For his next strategy, Sonic would leap onto the parts of the floor where there he could stand between the holes made by the moving tiles. He got a short look at what most of the floor looked like opened up, but he tried his best to memorize the little he saw to get past this obstacle. Several tricky jumps later, Sonic approached the tiles he recognized as the devilish spring tiles. Maintaining his balance, he prepared for a giant hop. He leapt and... he made it. The hedgehog barely passed over the spring tiles, which activated without his feet touching them, but he lost his balance when a new set of dropping tiles opened up beneath him. As he fell, he grabbed onto some of the thin flooring while hanging on to another part of it with his feet. What he saw below the floor was a pit of blue liquid. It seemed to be the same kind of substance the blue orb snakes were made of.

"I do not want to go swimming in whatever that stuff is." Sonic said, nervous. He climbed back up to where he could stand, but not without a bit of difficulty.

When Sonic was on his feet again, he cautiously stepped across more of the floor, avoiding the holes. At the very end of the room, he stopped before the last row of tiles.

"OK, I just know those things are going to send me back, and this time, i'll be taking a dunk in that gunk." Sonic thought out loud. "No way the designers would use that trick only once." So, he took another great leap, and he guessed right. These were another set of spring tiles, and he was able to clear them and reach safe ground at last.

"Aha!" Sonic shouted, proudly. "I saw through that, jerks!" He looked at the wall next to him and saw another button. He pushed it, opening up yet another staircase for him to climb. I guess sometimes, slow and steady DOES win the race, he thought, not wanting to say it out loud.

At the top of this new staircase, he entered a cylindrical room with yellow, levitating, metal blocks above. It looked like a path could be taken by going up. Out of the walls protruded four big pipes. The door Sonic came in through suddenly closed itself, sealing him within this room.

"Alright, with a little bit of Sonic speed and some proper positioning, I should be able to get up there." Sonic pondered. As he thought about what he was going to do, purple liquid started pouring out of the pipes. "Gotta go quickly!"

The room filled up rather quickly with this liquid, making Sonic panic. It was like a glass of water filling up, only the water looked revolting, just from the colour alone. As the liquid touched Sonic's sneakers, he used his speed to run up the wall, proceeding to jump from it and on to the levitating blocks in the air. These blocks seemed to form a rotating staircase. There were even more up above. The rising water was fast, and Sonic had to be the same. He made a great leap towards the wall and kicked it at the right time to propel himself up the next set of blocks. Up the blocks he went, kicking the wall again to rise even higher, reaching a big, circular platform this time. He was at the top of the room. He lept again, only to hit some kind of transparent thing blocking the way. He came into contact with a barrier and fell back on to the block platform, damaged but still concious.

"Aw, geez!" Sonic yelped. "That hurt!"

Even worse, the liquid rose and rose, getting closer and closer to the blue boy. If there was a barrier in the way, how could he survive? Sonic tried spinning into the barrier really hard, but to no avail. Even after charging up, it did nothing.

"Dang, dang!" Sonic growled. "What else can I do?" He kicked the platform and groaned. "I hate to say it, but this is something I could use help with. If only I had brought my brother or one of my friends." Tapping his left foot, he remembered his friends and thought about what he could do with their assistance in this situation. His combination attack with Tails that he performed earlier that day came to mind. Then an idea hit him on the head. "No. Maybe, just maybe, I could replicate a team maneuver WITHOUT them. It may sound crazy if I told this to someone... other than thin air, but it may be the only way out of here. Let's see if I can pull off a SOLO Sonic & Tails Special." He charged up for a spin again.

After revving up for a few seconds, as the liquid below got even closer to the top, Sonic started rolling around the platform at a very high speed, gaining more with every lap. He went faster and faster, until he decided to jump to the wall, rolling around them as well. Gravity proved to be no obstacle as he went faster, and faster, and faster, and faster until suddenly, the air around him was captured in a raging cyclone. The liquid twirled around with the whirlwind, and Sonic was still going even faster. Finally, he launched himself back towards the platform, engulfed in a furious vortex, and bounced up towards the barrier. He drove his ball form into the barrier until... BOOM! He broke through.

"Yeah!" Sonic yipped, landing on nearby ground. He was rather messed up from both the final impact with the barrier and the intense maneuver. The twister he created faded, dropping the liquid. Sonic moved away from the falling purple stuff. "Oh my Angel! Did I just create a tornado!? Holy cow! That was amazing! Woo! I've got to practice that!" He was exhilarated. Sonic had never pulled off a move like this before in his life, having spent most of it relying on his signature Spin Attack.

As he celebrated his very first self-made hurricane, Sonic felt a little pain that prompted him to clutch his body and groan. He observed the area around him. He saw a bunch of pipes filled with that blue stuff, and a large body of the purple stuff below those pipes. They were all over the place, along with platforms, towers and autonomous machinery. He took a good look at one of the towers, and saw a red, round face with circular eyes, a big moustache and a smug, toothy grin. It was the insignia of Doctor Robotnik.

"Robotnik." Sonic said, solemnly. "You really had me on my toes today."

"Attention, blue hedgehog." said a loud, gravelly voice over the intercom. "Congratulations on getting past those deadly traps, but we knew you were coming. Now, we're going to deal with you personally."

"You have no chance of survival, unless you submit to the Robotnik Regime." said another gravelly voice, that sounds more feminine. "If you want to rush to death so badly, by Angel, I hope you've filled your last will and testament, child."

"Well, that's what I call a welcoming committee." Sonic sarcastically commented.

In another room within the Chemical Plant, Ball Hog and Clucker are watching Sonic from a camera. They had just finished speaking to him through a speaker, activated by holding down a button.

"I can't wait to make him a hotpie topping." Ball Hog said, eagerly.

"Yuck!" Clucker growled in disgust.

The two Master Badniks approached two transport tunnels. Ball Hog turned into his Ball Mode, while Clucker laid down on her metallic stomach. They entered the tunnels and sped off to another part of the plant.

Back with Sonic, he's running across the road over the purple liquid lake. He takes a good look at some of the plant's machines. He notices one in particular that seems to be playing some kind of animation on a red screen. At first, it displays what looks like the Chemical Plant spreading the purple liquid all over it's surroundings, polluting water and causing greenery to die. Then, it shows what looks like a Badnik injecting the blue liquid into mechanical Mobians. And then, it demonstrates the two types of liquids coming together to form a new, violet type of liquid. The result is apparently a sticky substance, as the next thing that appears on-screen is an anthro-type Mobian and a human-type Mobian getting their feet firmly stuck in the sickening goo. Finally, it cuts to big, flashy letters spelling "MEGA MACK! THE MEDICINE FOR DEFIANCE!" before repeating itself from the beginning.

"Just like wildfire." Sonic whispered with dread.

* * *

Back outside in Peridot Town, the moving vehicles are all set to go. Tails, Tiara, Jun and Flex are waiting around, hoping the best for their hedgehog companion.

"You know, i'm not as fast as Sonic, but I can move pretty quick." Tails suggested. "I should go check on him."

"Tails, no." Tiara scolded. "I don't want to see you get hurt. Sonic would kill me if I let you head into danger."

"But, I can fly, too." Tails reminded.

"And the roof of the building may be defended by anti-air guns." Tiara mentioned.

"Fair enough." said Tails, understanding, following a 2 second pause.

"Alright, kids!" Banjo called out. "Our time has come!"

"OK, Banjo!" Tiara called back. "Good-bye!"

"Bye-bye!" Tails shouted.

Jun and Flex waved to Banjo as all the vehicles started up. At that moment, the ruined town erupted in flames. Things were exploding, and the houses were crumbling apart. It was the work of more Badniks. They came in from where the five children had arrived, charging forward with malicious intent.

"Oh no!" Jun gasped. "Please no! Banjo! Piccolo! Hurry!"

"Right on it!" Banjo yelled, getting his vehicle moving. All the vehicles started to slowly go forward, away from the town. However, the Badniks were coming up fast.

"Oh crud." Tiara murmured. "Remember, old girl. You're the team leader."

"Missing Sonic, Tia?" Flex asked the manx girl.

"Do you?" Tiara asked back.

"I mean, he knew how to dispatch these guys quickly." They said at the same time. Both eyed each other awkwardly for having the exact same thing to say, chuckling with amusement.

"We can take them!" Tail assured.

"I don't know about that." said Jun, worried. "We need a good plan."

"Flex!" Tiara called out to the armadillo boy. "Try your best to defend the vehicles-"

"Already on the job!" exclaimed Flex, interrupting Tiara's order. He ran towards the same direction the vehicles were headed. Tiara stared with slight annoyance.

"OK, Tails, go up and get a good view of the town to see where else they might be coming from." Tiara ordered the fox cub boy.

"Got it!" Tails complied, flying up with his namesakes spinning around.

"Jun, you'll be bashing some bots with me." Tiara ordered the monkey boy. "And we're going to like it."

"I don't see this as a good idea, Tia." Jun protested, shaking his head. "Why would you like it?"

"Hey, Sonic can't be the ONLY one who can have fun kicking metallic butt, can he?" Tiara explained herself.

"But i'm used to us attacking together as a complete team." Jun said. "A whole is crucial."

"No more haikus." said Tiara, stopping Jun. "We'll split the share of Badniks. Now let's go to work." She took a battle stance.

"Alright." Jun complied. "You're the leader, but just know now that i'm going to HATE this." He took his own battle stance, with the most nervous look on his face.

Inside the vehicle Banjo is driving, people are sitting in two rows. Among both rows are cloaked figures. Banjo, as he drives away from Peridot Town, looks in the rear-view mirror.

"Our town may have been desecrated beyond repair, but our visitors, the children of Charles, are worth fighting for." said Banjo to some people in the back. "When the time is right, you will jump out and give those Badniks a good scare."

"Ah hear ya', Banjo." said a feminine voice with a country accent from the cloaked figure on the vehicle's left row. "All ya' need to do is give me the word."

"When I get out there, believe me." said a masculine voice from the cloaked figure on the vehicle's right row. "I'll make that filthy Robotnik regret making mechanical slaves out of my friends."

"This'll mark the official end of Peridot Town." Banjo declared. "And it will be a bittersweet one. Make sure it's extra sweet."

The cloaked figures revealed bits of their bodies. The left one seems to have a robotic left arm and hand, while the other appears to have curly, crystalline horns.

As the Badniks drew closer, Tiara and Jun charged forward, with Tiara letting out a war cry, and Jun releasing a panicked squeal. A great battle is about to take place in the doomed Peridot Town, while Sonic is about to come face to face with two powerful Master Badniks in the dreadful Chemical Plant. Will Sonic stand a chance against the dynamic duo of Ball Hog and Clucker? Can his brother and friends save Banjo, Piccolo and all the other townspeople from the murderous Badnik Army? How long will it be before Doctor Robotnik has the first Chaos Emerald in his possession? What is the Ovoid Destroyer Project? Who are the mysterious cloaked figures in Banjo's vehicle preparing for battle? And where the heck IS this Phage character? Prepare for some answers, next time on...

Sonic Synthesis


	4. Chapter 3: Over the Emerald Hills

Chapter 3: Over the Emerald Hills and Far Away

The already ruined Peridot Town was now set ablaze by the arrival of the Badnik Army. Ladybug-bots, bee-bots, crab-bots, monkey-bots, caterpillar-bots and bat-bots were charging furiously through the grey, murky area, obliterating houses and brewing up a storm of debris. Tails was observing the destruction from the air, looking out for places where Badniks might pop out. It was very unpleasant, indeed, for someone of his age to be seeing this once bright, wholesome district fall apart even more. At that moment, it was like he was waiting for a good excuse to get out of there and see anything else. As for the Badniks, he couldn't see any besides the ones that already came in.

Down on the ground, Tiara and Jun were about to attack the Badniks head-on; the manx girl was eager to thrash the robotic menaces, while the monkey boy was panicking. Flex had made a dash for the departing vehicles, determined to protect their passengers from any attacks directed at them. These large transport machines were moving reasonably fast, but not enough to lose Flex. He jumped on the one being driven by Banjo. Soon, Tiara and Jun had gotten close to their mechanical enemies.

"You vandalized the wrong neighbourhood!" Tiara yelled, tearing up a ladybug-bot and freeing it's fauna battery with her chakram. She swung it around, chopping off a crab-bot's claw before slicing it as well. Then, she spun around and threw the chakram into a crowd of ladybug-bots and crab-bots coming towards her. "Order Chakram, Aroundeos." she muttered, pointing at her thrown weapon. The chakram spun around like a crazy frisbee, taking apart the Badniks around it. Up above, bee-bots aimed their stingers and fired bullets. Tiara just noticed them in time to barely dodge them, but she fell right on her butt.

Jun was breaking another bunch of ladybug-bots and crab-bots with his trusty triple staff. After clearing it out, caterpillar-bots ganged up on him, with the most vile looks on their faces. "Back off!" he growled, sweat flying from his head as he swung his triple staff again. A strike to one caterpillar-bot's head destroyed it's whole body and released it's creature trapped inside, but by striking another in it's spiky, segmented body, it broke apart and separated it's segments in different directions.

Jun freaked out as he dodged the caterpillar-bot's head bouncing towards him. In that window of opportunity, the remaining caterpillar-bots lunged at Jun. One bit down on his triple staff, trying to pull it away. The others tried to bite or lash their spiky tails at him.

In the middle of the tussle, ladybug-bots, bee-bots and bat-bots were zooming past Tiara and Jun, approaching Flex and the vehicles.

"Guys!" Tails called out, noticing the passing Badniks. "They're breaking through-" He was interrupted by bee-bots and bat-bots smacking against him. He fell to his ground, his tails' rotation process slowing down significantly.

Tiara, back on her feet fighting, chakram in hand again, responded to Tails' notification with a "huh?", but her eyes soon widened when he saw him descend, looking hurt. "Tails!" she cried, coming over to the fox cub's side, dodging a caterpillar-bot's bouncing body part. "Tails, don't crash on us now."

"No, wait." Tails said, pointing over Tiara's shoulder.

"Tia!" Jun hollered, smashing up the caterpillar-bots' heads by swinging around the one biting down on his triple staff. "We're trying to be a line of defense here!"

"OK." Tiara said, looking back. Her eyes turned over to Tails one more time, with an expression of deep concern. "Just try to stay concious." She then ran back to the battle.

"I'll be fine." Tails assured, rubbing a bruise on his right waist. He got up and ran away from the action. There must be SOMETHING I can do, he thought. Clearly, watching out for threats from the air wasn't going to work this time.

"Order Chakram, Diggimus." Tiara murmured, pointing her right index and middle fingers down at the ground. The chakram disappeared into the soil, before springing back up on Tiara's mark - sticking up her right index finger and thumb. It struck many bee-bots and bat-bots up in the air before coming down to grind some ladybug-bots and crab-bots.

Jun finally got the caterpillar-bot off his triple staff, but it split apart. Looking at the ball shapes of the Badnik's body segments, he got an idea. He ran up to one of the segments as it bounced along. "Enough is enough!" He swung his triple staff and hit the segment into the crowd of evil machines, and it exploded upon impact with a ladybug-bot, taking it out along with some other Badniks in it's vicinity.

The spikes on the segments sprayed a fair distance. "Oh, more things to watch out for." Jun added in despondency. He spotted another segment, which had finished bouncing, and began to glow, as if it was about to burst. He smacked it into the Badniks and watched them break into pieces along with it.

Flex, riding on the back of Banjo's vehicle, noticed the Badniks heading towards him. Not only were ladybug-bots, bee-bots and bat-bots streaking his way, but so were bat-bots carrying monkey-bots. Aiming straight for the vehicles, the monkey-bots threw metallic coconuts. No way was Flex going to protect all of these large transport machines alone with so many incoming projectiles.

He did his best to protect Banjo's, though, shifting left and right and jumping up a bit to block the coconuts with his hard shell. The other vehicles were hit by the other coconuts, and they all felt the impact. They swerved a little out of control. More coconuts came their way, and that was more for Flex to repel.

Unexpectedly, some bright beams and crystalline arrows flew out of the sides of Banjo's vehicle and destroyed the coconuts out of Flex's reach. "What the..?" He thought out loud, noticing the coconut wave's complete disappearance. At that moment, the bee-bots pointed their stingers forward. They fired off a flurry of bullets, which were all stopped by those beams and arrows, while Flex blocked what he could with his shell.

"Looks like Banjo had a secret weapon. How long did he have that?" he said, a bit miffed at not knowing about this mysterious new defense. He watched the beams blast the monkey-bots, bat-bots and bee-bots out of the sky. Only the ladybug-bots on the ground remained.

"It's a good thing these are moving away from town." Flex said. "I wouldn't want them near this." He climbed up to the top of Banjo's vehicle and gazed down on the ladybug-bots, and all the beams and arrows that were flying towards the airborne Badniks.

Flex launched himself up from the surface of the trailer, and curled up into his shell. Abruptly, he dived down like a meteor, and hit the ground like one, too. Upon impact, he created a massive shockwave that made the ladybug-bots' eyes widen with fear, as they all exploded. Flex was relieved to have less Badniks to worry about, and he couldn't wait for this fight to end.

Tails was looking for something to do while his friends were holding their own. He noticed a downed ladybug-bot, and figured that he could examine it's technology. "I always wondered about the details of Robotnik's machines. Maybe I could salvage some parts, or analyze their programming." He thought out loud. To his surprise, some coconuts from the monkey-bots came at him.

"Order Chakram, Blockadeon!" Tiara chanted. Her chakram, spinning vertically in front of Tails, deflected the coconuts back to their owners. It whizzed back to her.

"Thanks, Tia!" Tails called out to the manx girl.

"No problem." Tiara replied, turning her attention back to her robotic opponents. "Order Chakram, Lumines." she murmured, holding her weapon in front of her face. A blinding light struck the Badniks and left them in a state of confusion. They were spazzing out. Tiara looked at them and smirked, muttering "Nailed it." at the result of her technique.

"Good move, Tia!" Jun hollered, swatting and squashing Badniks with his triple staff and feet.

"OK, buddy." Tiara said, to seemingly nobody. "Time to get some fresh air and exercise." She placed her free hand down on her belt and slide her fingers across it swiftly. Out of a slit on the belt came a blue cloud of magical energy. She held it up high and pointed her Order Chakram over to the incapacitated Badniks. "Containem." she whispered, and the magic cloud began to swirl around the killer robots, building a field of sparkling light.

It surrounded all of them, leaving them trapped in a column. She threw her Order Chakram into the air above the luminous pillar. "Order Chakram, Diggimus." The ring-shaped weapon dug into the ground and emerged beneath the trapped, helpless Badniks, slicing them apart. "Return!" she shouted, bringing the magic cloud back into her belt.

"Uh oh!" Jun uttered, in fear.

"What is it?" Tiara asked, feeling accomplished with her magic tricks.

"It looks like some Badniks have been sneaking past." Jun replied, pointing at some Badniks that were passing through the ruined town with no opposition, over on an empty street.

"Whoops!" Tiara yelped, smacking her head.

"Guys!' Flex yelled, running up to his friends. "Those Badniks, they're-"

"Yeah, I know." Tiara said, glumly. "Hey, what are you doing? The vehicles!"

"I know!" Flex continued. "But let me tell you something. Banjo has a secret weapon."

"What are you saying?" Jun asked, confused.

"When I was out there defending the vehicles, beams and arrow came flying out of Banjo's." Flex explained. "Something or someone was helping me. You know what that could mean?"

"Well, obviously, we should go and help them out!" Tiara snapped. "Come on!" She ran after the sneaky Badniks.

"Uh, actually, looking at them now..." Jun said, looking at how the sneaky Badniks were acting. "I don't think they're after the vehicles at all."

"How can you say that?" Flex barked.

"Well, i've got a feeling about them." Jun commented, not feeling 100% sure of what he was saying.

"A feeling?" Flex said, scratching his head. "Right." He ran off in Tiara's direction. As he vanished from sight, he took a quick glance at the Chemical Plant on Corkscrew Mountain.

"I'll catch up with you guys!" Jun said, cupping his mouth with his hands. The monkey boy sighed and looked up at the Chemical Plant as well. One thing was for certain: if anyone could efficiently take care of the extra Badniks that ran under everyone's noses, it was Sonic. His eyes then caught the hedgehog's fox brother, and he went up to check on him. "What are you doing with that bug?"

"Examining it." Tails replied. "I thought i'd get a good look into this Badnik's inner workings."

"Perhaps you could check out it's motivation?" Jun suggested. "I have a hunch that Banjo and the others aren't their main target."

"I heard." Tails affirmed. "Are you sure?"

"Well, no." Jun conceded. "But, if you- you know, do the thing?"

"Decipher it's coding? Sure." Tails said, hopefully. "I've been translating binary digits and hacking computers since I was 4, so this should be a walk in the park." Tails began to bring the ladybug-bot back online and dig into it's programming. "OK, let's see. Ah!" The ladybug-bot struggled to move, but it was too damaged to go anywhere.

Jun stomped on it to make it stop rattling. "There must be something in here." Tails uttered, inquisitively. "There's a control panel, and it appears to be linked to this holographic component issuing orders in numerical code. Let's call it a "command drive" for simplicity's sake." He added, pointing at a particular component in the Badnik. "If I can adjust the controller, I might be able to decrypt something that we can use." Tails configured the Badnik's "command drive" until he managed to unlock something.

"Alright, I got something!" Tails confirmed, with a smile.

"What do you got?" Jun asked, urgently.

"It looks like..." Tails started. "A map, and a compass. It's pointing to... something shiny. And there's five other shiny things on here, too."

"Huh. Shiny treasure, maybe?" Jun wondered, a little lost.

"Shiny treasure." Tail murmured. He gasped. "Oh my Angel! I think I know what this is! It's a map to the Chaos Emeralds!"

Jun's eyes widened with shock. He couldn't believe that such a map could actually exist. The Chaos Emeralds had been lost to time, and nobody had been able to find their hiding spots. Even the occurrence of a solar eclipse seemed more likely than the appearance of a Chaos Emerald map, what with Mobius having two moons.

"We better notify Sonic and Tiara as soon as possible." Jun said, gritting his teeth.

* * *

Up in the Chemical Plant, Sonic ran up to a platform suspended above many pipes, high above the lake of horrible purple liquid. He was pacing back and forth, wondering if the owners of the voices he heard were going to show up.

"So, are we going to do this, or what?" Sonic hollered, impatiently. "I've been wanting some payback, but i'll gladly shut down this dangerous chemical manufacturing factory, with or without a fight."

Suddenly, some grenade fell to the ground in front of Sonic. Realizing what they were, he quickly stepped back, and he felt the breeze that the explosions stirred up. Smoke obscured his vision, but then, the voices he listened to earlier came back.

"When you walked in the house, you sealed your fate." said the masculine voice.

"Consider it an honour, for we're the best to date." sang the feminine.

"We all stand tall now, but only one will crumble." the masculine voice continued.

"We're going to get rough, and you're about to tumble." the feminine voice chanted on.

Then the smoke cleared, revealing Ball Hog and Clucker taking their own fighting stances.

"We're the Master Badniks..." Ball Hog yelled.

"Ball Hog and Clucker!" Clucker tweeted.

"Take a minute to pray, then it's time to suffer!" they finished in unison.

Sonic looked at the two like he just saw the most embarrassing street performance in his life. "Dude, I don't think "suffer" rhymes with your name."

"Oh, of all the nerve!" Clucker shrilled, indignantly. "That was rehearsed day and night, and when you really think about, my names DOES rhyme with that word!"

"No, it doesn't." Sonic fired back, dully.

"Yeah, it kind of doesn't." Ball Hog said, in agreement.

"Shut. Up!" Clucker responded, through gritted teeth. Then she sighed in frustration. "Let's just beat this rat."

"Wow, I know you're a robot, but how dense can you be?" Sonic growled, taking the word "rat" very personally. "I'm a hedgehog, you see? What else do you need to learn? That water's wet, that the sky's really high, or that rocks are as hard as bricks? Please, ask me anything."

"Here's a good question." Ball Hog said. "What are you doing, and what do you want?"

"I was thinking the same thing." Sonic replied.

Ball Hog rolled up into a metal ball and charged towards Sonic. Clucker, using rocket boosters hidden in her wings, flew up into the air. Sonic dodged the pig Badnik's attack, and slid across the floor to avoid getting caught in the swooping chicken Badnik's talons. Ball Hog rolled back to Sonic, but he jumped over it with ease. Clucker tried to peck Sonic, but with his reflexes, he sidestepped away from her beak, then delivered a spinning kick to the back of her head, making her stumble. Ball Hog uncurled from his ball mode as Sonic prepared a Spin Attack into his torso. Ball Hog took the lightning fast hit and slid back.

Just then, Ball Hog released a wave of steam from his nose. Sonic felt the hot air hit him like a fireball, then he took the brunt of a strike from Clucker's head, which stretched from her body. The hedgehog fell over.

"Ow!" Sonic moaned. "Got to give credit where it's due, you guys are tough. And that is a problem I don't need right now." He dodged beams shot by Clucker, and when grenades from Ball Hog came his way, he kicked one back, damaging and disorienting both of his opponents with the explosion. However, he was blown forward by the other explosions, and that gave Ball Hog an opportunity to grab the hedgehog. Sonic spun into a ball while in the robot swine's grasp, but deciding to have some fun, Ball Hog dribbled Sonic like a sports ball.

"Clucker, spike him!" Ball Hog called out to his robotic poultry companion. He threw the curled up Sonic into the air, and Clucker flew up to strike him back down to the ground with her wings. Sonic was hurt alot by this coordinated attack, but he was still concious.

Well, Sonic, you might've bitten off more than you can chew. But this is what you wanted, he thought. It became clear to the blue hedgehog boy that he was in the middle of his hardest battle yet, and many thoughts were in his head. Surrendering, however, was not among them. "So, anything you want to talk about?"

"That's none of your concern, hedgehog." Ball Hog said, darkly. He lifted up Sonic with both of his large, metal hands.

"Come on... I insist." Sonic said, smirking weakly.

"You don't get to insist anything, vermin." Clucker snarled. "Not after we kicked your butt."

"But if you've... kicked my butt, and you're... about kill me, it'd make it more painful... for me after hearing something... very important." Sonic proposed. "Come on, I... I won't be around to tell anything. You gotta know... something good."

"Is he being serious?" Clucker asked.

"Yeah, what does he expect us to tell him?" Ball Hog wondered. "Lord Robotnik's moustache gel? Commander Rockbottom's raptor code? The Chaos Radar?" Clucker's eyes widened at the mention of the Chaos Radar, and Sonic began to smile again.

"Chaos... Radar?" Sonic asked, his spirits rising back up.

"You didn't hear anything!" Ball Hog hastily yelled.

"Yes I did." Sonic said.

"Yes you did." Ball Hog conceded, shamefully. He then got kicked by Sonic, losing his grip on the hedgehog.

"Now, let's try this one more time." said Sonic, confidently. He did a Spin Attack right into Ball Hog's face, knocking him flat on his back. As the porky Master Badnik clutched his nose in pain, Clucker flew away from Sonic and flapped her wings, releasing an electrical storm cloud. Sonic was almost hit by the lightning in the cloud, but he stepped away and saw that Ball Hog was turning into his ball mode. Sonic got an idea.

He curled up on Ball Hog, spun on him to get him rolling in Clucker's direction, then when the time was right, he jumped, launching up to the chicken Badnik and knocking her out of the sky with a powerful hit. Ball Hog got fried by the storm clouds and fell off the platform. Clucker went down with him.

"Score!" Sonic yelled, victoriously. "Sonic, 1, Master Badniks, 0." He looked down the edge of the platform and saw Ball Hog and Clucker lying on the one of the giant pipes in defeat.

Sonic smiled at the thought of a quick, silly idea. "When I walked in the house, I sealed your fate. You've pulled many tricks that were too little, too late. Once we all stood tall, and the two of you crumbled. You certainly got rough, but I hardly tumbled. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, last name Galethorn. I had this in the bag, not to toot my own horn." Then he felt a sharp pain in his sides and groaned. "Alrighty then. Time to take care of unfinished business." He walked away, grasping his sides, hoping for the pain to go away. He spotted an elevator in the distance.

Sonic took the elevator up to a large room filled with chairs, supercomputer consoles and animated billboards for Robotnik's Mega Mack product. Sonic looked around, determined to get things done quickly. "I just have to smash this stuff, and it's lights out for this dump." Though he was bruised, Sonic's body was as stubborn as his mind. It just didn't know when to quit. Perhaps he still had enough strength left to Spin Attack the consoles and destroy the Chemical Plant, even though he felt burning pain in the wounds he received from the fight. In any case, he couldn't work the supercomputer's controls in any meaningful way. That was Tails' thing.

Unfortunately, he had company. Out of nowhere, Ball Hog and Clucker appeared, the former carrying his flaming axe and the latter wielding her electrical club.

"SURPRISE!" the two Master Badniks screamed together.

"Ugh." Sonic groaned. "I'm getting bored of you guys."

"Bored?" Ball Hog said, his eyes twitching at that particular word. "You're bored of two Master Badniks? Well, don't worry, we'll keep this interesting!" He blew out another cloud of steam. It missed, for Sonic was prepared for it this time.

"Get out of the control center!" Clucker demanded.

Sonic hopped on to the supercomputer in the middle of the room, and waved to the Master Badniks. "Where are you looking?" he called, giving a cocky smile.

"Right at YOU!" Ball Hog growled, turning his head to the hedgehog boy. He let out a battle cry, along with Clucker.

The large, robotic villains ran at Sonic, and as Ball Hog swung his axe, Sonic jumped over him and past the weapon. The axe hit the supercomputer and got lodged into it, letting out lots of sparks. An electrical surge hit Ball Hog as he pulled his axe. He got cooked good by the time he pulled it out, accidentally hitting Clucker with it and sending her club into another console, letting out a second great shock.

Sonic took on his ball form again and smashed against a supercomputer's monitor with great force, sending it flying and crashing through a wall. The control center was going up in sparks and smokes, so Sonic bailed. On the other side of the opening he left, there was an edge he could jump down. He inspected the area below to find that there were pipes he could slide down. He jumped on the ruined monitor and dove down.

"CONTROL CENTER POWER GENERATOR STATUS: OFFLINE! CHEMICAL PLANT OPERATION: TERMINATED! RECOMMENDED ACTION: ACTIVATE REDUNDANT POWER GENERATOR!" said a robotic voice in the background.

The control center was destroyed; a fried Ball Hog and Clucker stood miserably in the middle of the wreckage.

"One hedgehog set foot on our doorstep, beat us up, broke our stuff and got away, all in one day." Ball Hog muttered in disbelief.

"You IDIOT!" Clucker shrieked, smacking her porky partner. "You couldn't have swung horizontally?"

"I-I thought you were-" Ball Hog defensively stated.

"And why on Angel's Mobius did you have to mention the stinkin' Chaos Radar!?" Clucker screamed, so livid she could go blind. "We agreed on the ride back to Metropolis that we would keep that a secret!"

"Oh." said Ball Hog, smacking his head. "I am terrible at keeping those."

"You think?" Clucker snarked.

Down on the pipes, Sonic managed to slide into some areas, where he found some giant halfpipes.

"Woo!" He cried out in excitement. He made sharp turns on his makeshift board to keep himself on the path, riding on the pipes and raising his hands when he went down a tall drop. Sooner than expected, he reached the end of the line. He made a big leap with his monitor board and soared through the air like a great bluebird. Down below him were towers of machinery, protected by a column-shaped barrier with a rounded top. He jumped right off the monitor and spread his arms out like an avian creature. The monitor fell into the barrier below, and it broke apart upon contact. Sonic, unfortunately, was falling towards it too.

"Oh no, no, no, no!" Sonic yelled. "ARGH!" He had to think fast to get out of this, but what could he do while plummeting to his doom? Then it hit him in the head. He decided to retry a trick that got him out of a jam not too long ago.

As he descended towards the barrier, which is actually protecting a giant generator tower, he curled up again and rolled down it's rounded top. He spun all around, descending with every cycle. After many cycles, and almost hitting the bottom, he stopped going down and rolled in a straight line, as if the gravity had lowered. He was going at a blinding speed, only getting faster and faster, until he finally created a cyclone.

The force of the tornado eliminated the issue of gravity entirely, lifting the hedgehog up the barrier. The wind wrecked the surrounding machinery and caused the barrier to vanish. Sonic flew through the air, into the area that was no longer guarded, and smacked into a smaller tower, and bounced into the generator tower, then another tower and back, like a crazy pinball. Quickly, he rose up the beaten generator tower and made a long jump from the tip-top of it, soaring over to an open, empty pipe. The smaller towers were loosened, and the tornado made them fall into the generator tower, causing a great eruption of sparks.

"REDUNDANT POWER GENERATOR STATUS: OFFLINE! CHEMICAL PLANT OPERATION: TERMINATED! STRUCTURE ENCOMPASSING EXPLOSION: IMMINENT! RECOMMENDED ACTION: ABANDON CHEMICAL PLANT!"

Over at the ruined control center, Ball Hog and Clucker had called for their hovering vehicles, ready to depart.

"Why couldn't we have just played a game of Mean Beans?" Ball Hog asked, hopping into his vehicle.

"Because you wanted blue needles on your hotpie." Clucker reminded, dismissively, while boarding her own vehicle.

"Oh well, at least I won't have to take Lord Robotnik's wrath alone." Ball Hog miserably noted. Clucker simply made a grunt, knowing that her comrade was right.

All around them, computers, worker machines, pipes, towers, silos, billboards and liquid tanks were bursting into flames. The entire Chemical Plant was exploding. Everything that was produced here was going to be lost, and Mega Mack production was brought to a halt, thanks to Sonic's actions and the Master Badniks' clumsiness.

* * *

Back in the Emerald Hill, Tiara and Flex have been following the Badnik Army, running with all their strength. The vehicles that left Peridot Town were far ahead by now. Every variety of Badnik they were fighting was now avoiding them, seeking a certain location.

"I can't believe I was distracted." Tiara groaned. "Those Badniks are going to hurt people, and we don't have any fast way to catch up."

"I fear the secret weapon is not working." Flex bemoaned.

"Well, the way I see it, this is no time for keeping weapons secret." Tiara said. "Badniks are on their tail, and they think it's appropriate to hide their trump card like that?"

"That's kind of the point of a trump card." Flex remarked.

"You get my point." Tiara said, annoyed.

"Guys!" Tails called out, catching up with Jun in his arms. "I found something! I looked into one of those bug Badniks, I decrypted it's coding and came across what looks like a map!" He let Jun down, and the two of them started to run with Tiara and Flex.

"A map?" Tiara inquired.

"Yeah, with shiny points on it and everything." Jun noted.

"So, they're on a treasure hunt?" Flex asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess so." said Jun.

"But it's for the Chaos Emeralds!" Tails said.

"What!?" Flex shouted.

"So, you mean, they're really hunting for the Chaos Emeralds?" Tiara asked. She received a nod from Tails and Jun. "Then that means tearing down Peridot Town was just a bonus."

"Why attack Tiara, Jun, me and the vehicles then?" Flex asked, scratching his head.

"It's just all part of their natural, aggressive programming." Tails said. "If they see something that can interfere, they're going to try to subdue it."

As they continued to run, they heard a large explosion up on Corkscrew Mountain. They looked up and saw the Chemical Plant erupting in a ball of fire.

"Alright!" Tails yipped.

"Looks like Sonic did a lot of damage." Jun said. "Most admirable."

"Yeah, that's good for all the water and plants." Tiara commented. "But he better be on his way back. I'm missing the guy."

"He'll be here." Tails vowed. "But right now, we've got robots to catch." He observed the area where the Badnik Army was going. He saw a large mountain with a big hole next to it. "It looks like they're going to the Westside Island mines."

"The mines?" said Tiara. "There's a gaggle of shiny treasure there. A Chaos Emerald could be hard to dig for."

"Not when they have a map that'll lead the way." Tails reminded.

"Oh, yeah." Tiara muttered. She cleared her throat and took on a dramatic, commanding pose. "Gentlemen, i've got a daring plan that will give us the edge in our mine exploration. We could come out heavily bruised, but what's important is how we perform when we go in. The key is trust, coordination and putting on the best darn showcase you can. Follow my lead, and we'll be winning... the hunt."

"Well, she's back in the groove." Flex murmured, wincing at Tiara's theatrics.

Together, they ran towards the mines where the Badnik Army was headed. Now that they knew what their target was, they could get on their tails and hopefully beat them to the punch.

* * *

Over by the destroyed Chemical Plant, Sonic whizzed out of a pipe that was buried in the ground. He rolled forward a fair distance from the opening he made in the dirt until he came to a complete stop. He was sparkling with electrical sparks and feeling intense pain in body.

"Well, that was a ton of fun." Sonic said happily, but with a pained moan. "After all that, I could use a breather." He stood still, breathed in through his nose and breathed out through his mouth. He then prepared to run. "Done." But when he took off, he ached all over again, so he couldn't run anymore. He had to walk. "Ah, geez. Ow. This is like the worst part of hitting the gym. Ow, ow, ow." He groaned. He took a good look at the distance, gazing upon the afternoon sunlight. But there was something else. Lots of dots in the distance; one of them looked like an egg.

Sonic, despite being badly bruised and unable to run, wanted to make sure he could get to his brother and friends. Just then, a noise was growing in the background. A noise that sounded... familiar. It sounded like... a biplane. Sonic listened hard - his ears twitching from the approaching noise - and figured that he could be hearing only one thing. And there it was, when he turned around. It was a crimson red biplane with white stripes, coming in for a landing by the area on which Sonic was standing. As it came to a halt next to the hedgehog boy, it was revealed to be piloted by another hedgehog, also a shade of blue: a light, aquamarine blue.

Unlike Sonic, the hedgehog in the biplane's pilot seat is middle aged, sports a long, dark grey moustache on his muzzle, has many drooping quills fashioned into a mullet shape with dark grey tips, wears an old, brown jacket with badges all over it's front and the word "Blue Gale" on the back, all on top of a green and grey striped shirt, has violet eyes and doesn't wear gloves. He looked over at Sonic, who smiled.

"Hey, Uncle Chuck!" Sonic yelled in delight, recognizing the older hedgehog and waving.

"Hello, Sonny!" the hedgehog named Chuck yelled back, waving to the younger hedgehog. He hopped out of the plane and revealed more of his ensemble: a pair of dark blue jeans and red shoes with grey fasteners and soles. "I thought i'd come over and see how you're doing with your first day of freedom. I saw that factory explode, and well, here I am." He looked around and raised an eyebrow. "So, where are the others?"

"Oh, I left them down in Peridot Town to have some fun." Sonic confirmed. Then his body badly ached again. "Ooh!"

"Got into some painful scuffles, all by yourself?" Chuck asked.

"Oh no, it was cake." Sonic lied, grasping his sides. "I had everything under control. Oi."

"Really?" Chuck asked, tilting his head in doubt.

"OK, I got blindsided by some traps and fought a couple of really strong Badniks." Sonic confessed. "At least I broke the plant."

"True, but you lost your brother, your friends, and you're hurt." Chuck remarked.

"Oh, Tia and the boys can take care of themselves." said Sonic, smiling.

"Of course they can. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let you all go off and travel on your own terms." Chuck said, narrowing his eyes. "Now hold still, i'm going to fix you up." As he finished his sentence, he pulled out a jar of yellow, liquid-y substance from the plane.

"What's that?" Sonic asked, curious.

"It's Alleviation Sap, from the rare Tree of Alleviation, remember?" Chuck explained. "I would put this on you, Tails, Tiara, Jun and Flex all the time." He opened the jar, pulled out a knife from his pocket, used it to scoop some of the sap and smear it on Sonic's body. Sonic felt a burning sensation when the sap touched him, but soon, the aching pain in his body weakened, but was not gone entirely. The sap vanished as if it was assimilated by Sonic.

"Eh, good enough. Thanks." said Sonic, relieved. "So, hey, can you give me a ride to the others?"

"Alright then." Chuck responded. "Have any idea where they went?"

Sonic stared at him blankly, before shrugging with a nervous look. In the hopes that he would catch them in the distance, he jumped on the wing of the red plane and looked around the wide area. It didn't take long for him to notice the mine area - the very same one where his friends are going. He also saw the large vehicles in the distance, driving in a neat row, except for one that was breaking away from their path. "Let's try that rocky area." He suggested, pointing at the mines.

Chuck climbed back into the plane's pilot seat, fired up the engine and made the rotor on the front spin. "Tornado, all systems go!", he said about the plane. Tornado was, in fact, the name of this vessel. It even had the word "Tornado" written in bold, white letters on both of it's sides. Sonic stood on the wing, crouching down and hanging on to the front of the wing with his right hand. The Tornado was moving and lifting itself up into the air.

* * *

Back to Tiara and the boys, they had reached the mines. The Badniks were roaming around the large excavation near the giant mountain.

"Where do you suppose the Chaos Emerald could be?" Jun asked.

"Well, if nothing was found here before, I suppose it's buried so deep, they'll be reaching the core of Mobius by the time they're done." Tiara guessed.

Up above the excavation site, a floating vehicle descended, stopping a few feet above it. Tiara looked up and saw who was riding it: Doctor Robotnik.

"Guys, get down!" Tiara whispered urgently. She and the boys ducked down behind some rocks.

"Tia, did you see who it is?" Tails asked, worried.

"It's him!" Tiara whispered, freaked out. "It's Doctor Robotnik!"

"Don't worry, I won't let him hurt any of you." Flex assured, quietly.

"What's he doing here?" Jun wondered, in a low voice.

"Looks like he's been following the map just like his cronies." Tails whispered. "He's going to snag the Chaos Emerald, first chance he gets, unless we find and grab it first."

The sound of Doctor Robotnik clearing his throat over an intercom was heard.

"Ssh, team. Listen." Tiara demanded.

"Badnik Army, loyal comrades of the Robotnik Regime!" Robotnik loudly started. "It looks like our search has brought us to the Westside Island mines. If the Chaos Emerald really is here, then that means alot of good for me. The Multifighters will initiate our excavation. When you find the Chaos Emerald, bring it to me immediately. And if anyone, especially someone from the Fighters' Fellowship, tries to interfere with my business, I want them crushed on sight. Take no prisoners. Then take their bodies to be restored in my Robotomy Chamber." He then proceeded to press a button on a bracelet he's wearing on his left wrist.

From behind some rocks on the other side of the excavation site, six tall, orange, blue-eyed, humanoid Badniks jumped out with hard hats. They looked at the ground, and started making charging sounds. Out of their torsos shoot blue plasma beams, firing at the dirt. Tiara peaked out from behind her and the boys' rocks and got a good look at the Multifighters.

"Hey, those look like SWATbots." She whispered in astonishment. "But they look so much bigger, and more colourful."

"For real?" Tails said, interested. "They must be updated models, building upon the finer details of the originals and rectifying the previous version's kinks."

"Sure. That sounds about right." Tiara responded, indifferently. "Alright, team. I'll set up a distraction." Tiara took the magic cloud back out of her belt. "Go, my Lumina Flow. Distracto." The magic cloud - called the Lumina Flow by it's feline owner - came out of the rocks and flew up towards Doctor Robotnik. He moved out of it's way.

"What the heck!?" Robotnik growled. The Lumina Flow circled around the scientist. "What is that? Is that a swarm of honey jackets?" He swatted at the cloud like it was an annoying bug, consistently missing. "Get away! Get away! Argh!" Then it got in his eyes. "Ah, it's blinded me!"

"Flex, do the Hammer Drop." said Tiara, smiling.

"So soon, eh?" Flex commented, thinking about how he used his signature move not too long ago. He jumped out from the rocks, curled up into his shell and smashed into the excavation site, creating a massive shockwave that devastated the ground Badniks. Every ladybug-bot, crab-bot, caterpillar-bot and monkey-bot was destroyed, but the Multifighters only tripped.

The bee-bots and bat-bots took notice of Flex, and the former pointed their stingers for an aerial assault. Tails flew up into the air, holding on to Jun.

"You guys would make some good spare parts." Tails said, tearing up the bee-bots with his twirling namesakes. "But you are very annoying." He hadn't forgotten about how the airborne Badniks rammed into him earlier.

Jun, with his free arm, swung his triple staff at some bat-bots. He was swung back forth, as he and Tails exchanged which flying Badniks they would destroy. Quickly, their numbers decreased substantially.

Back on the ground, Flex was standing face-to-face with the six Multifighters. They faced him with those blue, toothy grins. They held their left arms up, and their left hands moved out of their natural positions, latching on to their left arms. They made clicking sounds as gun barrels popped out of the holes where their wrists were supposed to be.

"Well, i'm neck-deep in muck." Flex thought out loud, smirking.

"Oh my gosh, Flex! They have guns!" Tails shrieked with absolute horror.

Flex curled up into his shell once again and let a flurry of machine gun bullets at him. Thankfully, he proved to be bulletproof, as every shot bounced right off his thick hide.

Robotnik finally teared the Lumina Flow right off his face, and he saw Tails and Jun in the air. Tails was finally getting tired, and he panted heavily as he descended, holding on to a panicking Jun.

"Crud!" Tiara yelped. "Save my friends!" She directed the Lumina Flow down to Tails and Jun, saving them from falling into the waves of Multifighter bullets. Fortunately, the big Badniks would run out of firepower. Robotnik was fuming.

"Nice try, losers!" Robotnik snarled. He spotted the Lumina Flow carrying Tails and Jun down to the ground. As soon as they were let down, Doctor Robotnik fired a beam at it from a ray gun, damaging it and sending it back home to Tiara's belt.

The mad scientist followed the little magic cloud and saw it go behind the rocks. Smiling devilishly, he pushed his wrist button again, which seemed to issue a command to a Multifighter. It held up it's right arm, moved it's right hand, and out jutted a cannon made up of three segments. The cannon fired an egg-shaped object upwards, and it fell behind the rocks. Tiara realized what it was, as it made a beeping sound, and tried to climb over the rocks and get away. Before she could, the object exploded and blew both her and the rocks away into the excavation site.

The four friends were surrounded by the Multifighters. Flex had uncurled and was feeling a bit nervous.

"At least we took out most of them, right?" Tails said.

"That would make me feel good if this went swimmingly. But this? This sucked." Tiara complained.

All Jun could do was whimper, and all that Flex could do was silently glare at the elite robot soldiers. Thinking they could at least make some kind of dent in the Multifighters, they all attacked them, one each. Tails swung his namesakes at one, and it hit like blunt instrument, but had no meaningful effect. Laughing nervously, Tails backed off as the Multifighter threatened to pull out it's grenade launcher. Tiara threw her Order Chakram, but her Multifighter easily deflected it. Jun tried to swing his triple staff, but he was effortlessly thrown to the ground by the Multifighter he faced. Flex threw a punch, but his fist grabbed by the Multifighter he wanted to attack, and it punched back into his stomach, making him fall flat on his back.

"Before I terminate you, give me intel." Robotnik growled. "Are you with the Fighters' Fellowship?"

"Huh?" Tiara asked, confused.

"ARE YOU WITH THE FIGHTERS' FELLOWSHIP!?" Robotnik bellowed.

"Heck no!" Tiara snapped. "We don't belong with a commercialized military camp!"

"No matter! You're undoubtedly after my Chaos Emerald!" said Robotnik, angrily. "I will execute you and convert you all into spare parts in my Robotomy Chamber!"

Then a sound, a sound most familiar came heading towards the excavation site. It sounded like... a ground vehicle, making it's way towards where everyone was present. It seemed to be one of the moving vehicles from Peridot Town. Everyone turned towards the direction the noise was coming from.

Not far from the excavation site, Banjo's vehicle was moving at a high speed. He had a determined look. He pressed a button next to the steering wheel, making two doors on top of the vehicle open, and lifting parts of the left and right rows, hoisting up the two hooded figures.

"Now's the time!" Banjo shouted out to the mysterious characters.

"Been holding it in all day!" called the feminine voice from the left row.

As the elevated segments of the two rows came over the opened ceiling doors, Banjo brought the vehicle to an abrupt stop, launching the figures out into the excavation site. The one of the (vehicle's) right took out a crossbow and shoot those crystalline arrows down on the Multifighters, disorienting them and Robotnik. Immediately after, the one from the (vehicle's) left revealed their robotic left arm, and transformed it into a cannon. The cannon arm released a giant beam that circled around the heroes and Robotnik, making a fiery explosion ring, frying the tough-as-nails Badniks. Tiara and company couldn't believe what they just witnessed, but this lifted their spirits.

"What the-!?" Robotnik yelped, bewildered.

"Whoa, cool!" Tiara squealed, happily.

And then, it was like they like they all got a second wind. Tiara threw her Order Chakram at a Multifighter, and yelled "Aroundeos!" circling it around the Badnik and dicing it up like an apple. Tails spun around rapidly, delivering multiple tail strikes to another Multifighter, doing some actual damage to it this time. Jun swatted another Multifighter with his triple staff and gave it an aerial double kick. Flex grabbed the Multifighter he charged towards and slammed it into the ground, squashing it under his armored shell. The mysterious hooded fighters finished the other two - one with a punch from their robotic arm, and the other with their crystal ram horns. Then, everything went quiet.

In the middle of the battle, Doctor Robotnik managed to recompose himself and make a getaway into the nearby cave in the mountain while the heroes and their new acquaintances were occupied with dealing their finishing blows.

"We'll discuss this later, filthy maggots!" Robotnik barked. "I've got better things to do!"

After the dust had finally settled, everyone looked upon their saviors. They were eager to meet some new friendly faces. The hooded figures faced the heroes.

"Y'all are new to me." said the feminine figure.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." said the masculine figure.

"Thanks for the assist." Tiara said, truly thankful. "I was losing my head, and there was all these Badniks, and my brain was trying to think of how to lead in the situation, and i'm really wondering where my best friend is-"

"How's 'bout we start with names?" asked the feminine figure, jovially.

"Right." Tiara uttered meekly. "I'm Tiara Zircolight, team leader. Or at least trying to be."

"My name is Jun Songcloud." said Jun, bowing politely. "I like music and Yurashian culture."

"Call me Flex Hardshell." said Flex, pounding his chest with his fists. "Enough said."

"And i'm Tails Galethorn." said Tails, with a bright smile. "I'm fond of machinery, and people often tell me i'm smart beyond my years. I also have a brother named Sonic. He's not here right now, but I promise he'll be back for us."

"Pleased to meet you." the feminine figure responded, pleasantly.

"Ms. Zircolight, like rare stones reflecting the light of the sun, your eyes glimmer radiantly." the masculine figure complimented.

"Aw, thank you." Tiara replied, blushing.

Right after that, the figures removed their hoods and cloaks, revealing who they really are. One is a female anthro rabbit-type Mobian, and the other is a male anthro ram-type Mobian. The rabbit had her hair tied up into a long ponytail, wore a cowboy hat on top of her head, saw the world through the most beautiful pair of emerald green eyes, sported a purple leotard, complimented by a dark red shawl around her shoulders and neck, wore an iron gauntlet on her right arm and hand, and of course, had a robotic left arm and hand, along with pairs of robotic legs and feet. The ram had crystal horns, a magenta camoflauge shirt, a pair of long, black gloves, a pair of green army pants, two black boots with red fasteners, and a brown leather belt with a holster for his crossbow. He also had a beefy torso.

"I'm Bunnie Rabbot." the rabbit girl introduced herself. "Official representative of the Fighters' Fellowship."

"What?" Tails, Tiara, Jun and Flex said simultaneously.

"My name is Ari Tarius." the ram boy introduced himself. "Official representative of the Fighters' Fellowship."

WHAT!?" Tails, Tiara, Jun and Flex exclaimed all together.

Meanwhile, over in the entrance to the cave that Doctor Robotnik entered, somebody was watching in the shadows, observing everything that was going.

"So, Lord Robotnik's got some competition that ISN'T affliated with that bothersome, commercialized military camp." said a low, whispery, growly, but feminine voice in the darkness. "Who knows what other troublemakers could jump out and surprise us? That only means somebody will have to jump out and surprise THEM. An easy task, because there's one whom owns the shadows. Master Badnik Phage. Little old me. Lord Robotnik, Commander Rockbottom and my daddy will be pleased."

The owner of the voice steps out into the light a bit, revealing who they are. They happen to be a feminine figure dressed up in dark purple ninja garb, a couple of mahogany red boots, a pair of long, black gloves, a helmet with four little horns (two on the left, two on the right) and a feline-shaped mask with blank, glowing yellow eyes, along with dark grey, net-like armor covering her torso and legs. Surrounding the being was a frigid cloud that looked like it could freeze on contact.

"And lastly: Ball Hog, i'm right over here." Phage finished, with a sinister chuckle.

* * *

Back in Metropolis, Rockbottom Raptor is supervising a construction site, where a gigantic, spherical machine is being constructed, nearing completion. The villainous lizard walks through the area. The Robian workers have varying reactions to him walking past. Some of them salute him, like he's a respected hero, some of them back away in fear, and others... try to attack him.

"You piece of garbage!" yelled an angry male Robian cat with segmented metal whiskers, trying to strike Rockbottom with a torch.

He dodged the mad Robian cat effortlessly and smacked them with his long tail, knocking them over. Then he decided to walk over to them and pressed the bottom of his foot against the helpless slave's head.

"Lord Robotnik gives you a great privilege: freedom of thinking in subjugation, and you waste it on mindless resistance." Rockbottom growled.

"Better trying... to kill you... than to... lick your... b-b-boots..." the Robian cat hissed.

"No more defiance." Rockbottom said darkly. "Let me cure it. Apply medicine!"

On the Robian cat's body, two blue circles on his shoulders began to spin and make draining sounds. The blue liquid contained inside began to spiral into the Robian cat's main body, leaving black voids. As the liquid was absorbed, the Robian cat began to scream and spazz out. He rolled on the floor, and if he weren't mechanical, he would be shedding tears. His eyes lost whatever semblance of life they had, and his expression turned dull. He got back up, no longer able to speak or act against his commander.

"Return to your post, Cat." Rockbottom demanded, venomously. Cat returned to where he was before, picking up the torch he was using.

Clearly, Cat was not the only Robian to have suffered from this "defiance cure" that came in the form of the blue liquid from the Chemical Plant. Quite a number of Mobians were working silently, completely expressionless and doing absolutely nothing else. Nothing.

"Back to business." Rockbottom stated. "Keep working on the Ovoid Destroyer Project. As soon as we get the Chaos Emeralds, we can launch it up into orbit and begin the next phase of our master plan. Then the world will know true salvaton, all by Lord Robotnik's hand." Just then, a communication device in his pocket rang, and he answered it. "Commander Rockbottom speaking. Status update, General Ball Hog. WHAT!? THE CHEMICAL PLANT HAS BEEN DESTROYED!? FOR JUST ONE HEDGEHOG!?" In a huff, he put the communication device away in the pocket he pulled it out of. "Incompetent tools." he grumbled, with seething hatred in his voice. He stomped off.

In the middle of the construction site, a group of Robians were hard at work on the Ovoid Destroyer Project. They were a male and female hedgehog, a male manx, a female monkey and an elderly male and female armadillo pair. They seemed to be victims of the blue liquid too, as all they did was look at the gigantic, spherical mass and work tirelessly.

Peridot Town is evacuated and forever in ruins, the Badnik Army has been warded off for now, Banjo, Piccolo and the other innocents are safe and the Chemical Plant has been deconstructed. Heroes are coming together, and Sonic's group is closing in on a Chaos Emerald. However, so is Doctor Robotnik. The day is far from over, and another battle surely awaits in the cave inside the mine mountain. Can they reach the miraculous gemstone before the doctor claims it for himself? Have they really seen the bulk of the doctor's reinforcements for this mission? What will become of Banjo and the community of Peridot Town next? What kind of heroes are Bunnie and Ari, being representatives of the Fighters' Fellowship? What sort of Master Badnik is the enigmatic Phage? How far will the Ovoid Destroyer Project go? Keep on watching for the next chapter of...

Sonic Synthesis


End file.
